8mm Page #8

-Welles stands in the doorway of MARY'S ROOM, just stares.

He takes a few steps back into the HALLWAY, looks up at the

ceiling. There's an ATTIC DOOR there. Welles reaches to

the door's handle, opens it, unfolds the portable stairs...

-In the small ATTIC, Welles uses a penlight FLASHLIGHT,

crouched under the low ceiling, looking through dusty BOXES

of PHOTOGRAPHS; old photos of a wedding, of grandparents...

Welles moves to pull back dusty sheets, finds a large

WICKER BASKET and broken BICYCLE underneath...

Welles opens the basket, takes out BLANKETS and QUILTS

in mothballs. He finds a wide VELVET BOX, takes it out,

opens its hinged lid to reveal a set of good SILVERWARE.

He touches the tarnished silverware, lifts out the top tray.

Underneath, resting on top of more silverware, is a DIARY.

Welles opens the DIARY, finds written: "Mary Anne Mathews."

Welles turns pages. The DIARY'S about half-full of

feminine, cursive handwriting. After the last written

page, a PAGE has been TORN OUT. Welles fingers the ragged

edge, flips through the blank pages till he comes to the

very last page, a GOODBYE NOTE. Welles sits and reads...

MARY'S VOICE (V.O.)

(emotionless monotone)

"Dear mom. If you're reading this,

it means I called you from

Hollywood, California and told you

where to find my diary. I don't

think I'll be able to tell you this

when I talk to you, so I'm writing

it down here. You know I haven't

been happy for a long, long time.

For a long time now dad's been doing

things I couldn't tell you. He's

been touching me and it's getting

worse. I can't stay anymore. I

know you and I haven't always gotten

along sometimes, but please don't

blame yourself. There isn't

anything you can do. I'm going to

make a whole new life in California.

Maybe someday you'll see me on TV or

in magazines. Don't worry about me.

Love, Mary Anne."

INT. MATHEWS HOUSE, HALLWAY OUTSIDE MARY'S ROOM -- DAY

Welles shuts the attic door, takes the DIARY from his

pocket, hides it in his waistband at the small of his back.

INT. MATHEWS HOUSE, LIVING ROOM -- DAY

Welles enters. Mrs. Mathews looks up from the TV.

WELLES:

You were right.

(pause)

I didn't find anything. I'm going

to run and get something to eat.

Are you hungry?

MRS MATHEWS:

Yes.

INT. COPY SHOP -- LATE DAY

Welles uses a self-serve COPY MACHINE, flattening the DIARY

on the glass, photocopying the DIARY as quickly as he can.

INT. MATHEWS HOUSE, LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT

Welles sits picking at fast food in front of him. Mrs.

Mathews' food isn't even unwrapped.

She's numb from her drink, watching a GAME SHOW, smoking.

WELLES:

Do you ever consider... do you

realize that Mary may never come

back?

Mrs. Mathews looks to Welles, looks back at the TV.

MRS MATHEWS:

I think about it everyday. But,

every time the phone rings... every

single time, I still think it's her.

WELLES:

It's been six years.

MRS MATHEWS:

What am I supposed to do? Forget

her? Time heals all wounds, right?

(misery building)

She's all I think about, and I've

learned to live with that. But, you

want the truth... the real truth?

If I had a choice... if I had to

choose, between her being out there,

living a good life and being happy,

and me not knowing; never finding

out what happened to her...

(pause)

... or her being dead and me

knowing...

(pause)

I'd choose to know.

Mrs. Mathews stares into the TV, wipes tears.

Welles takes a deep breath and holds it. He watches her a

long moment, motionless. Finally he stands, voice unsteady.

WELLES:

Excuse me, I have to use your

bathroom.

INT. MATHEWS HOUSE, HALLWAY OUTSIDE MARY'S ROOM -- NIGHT

Welles comes to the attic door, quietly pulls it open.

INT. MATHEWS HOUSE, ATTIC -- NIGHT

Welles uses his penlight, digs out the DIARY from the hiding

place in his waistband, replaces it in the box of

silverware, closes the box.

INT. MATHEWS HOUSE, MARY'S ROOM -- NIGHT

Welles enters, takes a PICTURE FRAME off one shelf, opens

the back and takes out the PHOTO of MARY from inside.

INT. MATHEWS HOUSE, LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT

Mrs. Mathews still gazes into the TV. Welles passes the

doorway, not looking in, heading to the front door, opening

the door and walking out...

Mrs. Mathews doesn't even notice, doesn't look up.

EXT. MATHEWS HOUSE -- NIGHT

Welles crosses the front lawn, not looking back, heading to

the street, getting into his car, starting his car, doing a

U-turn, driving away down the street.

EXT. FAYETTEVILLE AIRPORT, LONG TERM PARKING -- MORNING

Welles' boxes of belongings are piled in the back seat of

his car. Welles covers them with a blanket, shuts the door.

Welles opens the trunk of his car, pulls back the carpeting.

He opens the brown BRIEFCASE. The briefcase is full of

CASH, about $10,000, twenties and fifties in bundles.

Welles transfers half the money into a carry-on bag, shuts

the briefcase, covers it, closes the trunk.

INT. AIRPLANE, COACH -- NIGHT -- MONTAGE

The cabin's half-full, dark. Passengers sleep. Under the

only illuminated reading light, Welles reads the PHOTOCOPIED

DIARY. MARY'S VOICE is a again a flat monotone...

MARY'S VOICE (V.O.)

(as Welles reads)

"Dear diary. I have a big math test

tomorrow. I have to get better

grades. How come everybody does

better than me? Kathy doesn't even

study and she gets B's. Two boys

got in a fight after school today.

One boy knocked the other boy's

tooth out, at least that's what it

looked like. His nose and mouth

were bleeding all over the place..."

EXT. LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT -- MORNING -- MONTAGE

An airplane ROARS downwards, heading in for a landing.

EXT. LA CITYSCAPE -- ESTABLISHING -- DAY -- MONTAGE

An ugly city. "HOLLYWOOD" sign on the smoggy horizon.

EXT. HOLLYWOOD HOTEL -- DAY -- MONTAGE

A cheap, stucco hotel in a wounded Hollywood neighborhood.

INT. HOLLYWOOD HOTEL -- DAY -- MONTAGE

Welles' suitcase is open on the bed. Welles sits in a chair

with his feet up, sweating in the heat, reading the DIARY.

MARY'S VOICE (V.O.)

(as Welles reads)

"... We're reading The Great Gatsby

in English class. It's the story of

this guy who has lots of fancy

parties and all his friends come

around and party with him, but later

when he dies nobody comes to his

funeral. Someone said there's a

movie about it, but I looked in the

video store and it wasn't there."

Welles flips pages, further back in the DIARY...

MARY'S VOICE (V.O.)

(as Welles reads)

"Dear diary. I started my first job

last week working part time at Price

Mart department store..."

INT. LOS ANGELES BANK, SAFE DEPOSIT VAULT -- DAY -- MONTAGE

Welles and a BANK EMPLOYEE both put keys into a SAFE DEPOSIT

BOX, unlocking it and sliding out the metal drawer.

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