Absolute Power Page #2

7.

25 CONTINUED:
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He allows himself to exhale. Then he’s busy again,

unhooking the computer. His fingers, as always, work

quickly, precisely.

25A INT. SULLIVAN MANSION -FOYER -NIGHT 25A

The foyer as Luther, once again carrying his backpack,

moves across it. Behind him, the front door is again

shut, the security panel back on, screws all in place.

It’s as if he hadn’t been there at all...

26 INT. SULLIVAN MANSION -STAIRCASE -NIGHT 26

Luther walks quickly up --and here we get a sense of the

vast size of the place --it feels bigger inside than it

looked in the moonlight.

A Van Gogh at the head of the stairs. Luther moves past

it, then stops, goes back, studies the painting. It’sa

late one, when the madness had him and things were

sliding away. Very sad.

Luther looks at it admiringly for another moment -

--then surprisingly he raises his hand, and for just an

instant traces the lines of the painting in the air, as

if trying to figure out how the magic was done, as if

getting ready for his next museum session -

--then almost grudgingly, he moves on, up toward the

third floor.

27 INT. SULLIVAN MANSION -THIRD-FLOOR LANDING -NIGHT 27

Here’s a Hopper. One of the great ones, filled with an

overpowering sense of being alone -

--Luther stares at it almost in awe, whispers "wow,"

moves on.

28 INT. SULLIVAN MANSION -HALLWAY -NIGHT 28

Luther, walking down the third-floor corridor.

The corridor walls. No paintings here --instead we see

a series of framed photographs. The first is of a baby

girl, the next one of the same child at three.

We watch the child grow up in these photos. At ten she

is already pretty. At fifteen a stunner.

(CONTINUED)

)B( ABSOLUTE POWER -Rev. 5/16/96 8.

28 CONTINUED:
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Not a classic beauty by any means, she is turning into,

if you will a latter-day Ann-Margret. The kind of girl

you ached for in high school. The perfect cheerleader.

These are pictures, we will come to know, of Christy

Sullivan. A high school graduation shot at eighteen, a

shot in front of a Burger King at twenty.

CLOSEUP -WEDDING PHOTOGRAPH *

Christy, looking just fabulous, is 24 and smiling

happily. We can only see her face and the wedding veil

here. Now -PULL

BACK to reveal -A

glorious and expensive white wedding dress.

holds a bouquet of flowers. Breathtaking.

Christy

KEEP PULLING BACK.

And now we can see the groom. Walter Sullivan. Walter

is smiling too, one arm proudly around his lovely bride.

Walter, it might be noted, is eighty years old.

Luther, staring at the photo, shakes his head.

moves on.

Now he

29 INT. SULLIVAN MANSION -MASTER BEDROOM -NIGHT 29

Luther opens the DOOR. It SQUEAKS. He goes inside,

closes the door firmly. Next, he puts his backpack down,

takes out a low-power non-glare work light, sets it up.

Now he looks around. A huge room, a gigantic canopied

bed.

A nightstand alongside, which contains a small silver

clock, three Danielle Steel novels piled neatly one atop

the other, several more photos of the happy couple ---

and an antique silver-plated letter opener with a

thick leather handle.

Luther. He studies himself in front of a very large

full-length mirror across from the canopied bed.

Now we realize something --he isn’t studying himself,

he’s studying the mirror itself.

He turns, goes to the sitting area where there are chairs

and a sofa and a large TV and VCR.

(CONTINUED)

9.

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Three remotes on a side table. Luther carefully picks up

the middle one, crosses the room with it, points it at

the large mirror, clicks once -

--and the mirror swings silently open.

A room is revealed. All we can see of it so far is this:

There is an armchair in the middle facing where the

mirror had been.

Luther turns back toward the sitting area, the remote

held in his hand.

The side table. Luther puts the remote down --very

carefully. In the exact position it had been. Now he

takes a moment, blows on his hands, rubs them together.

Then --Luther takes a collapsible duffel bag out of his

backpack, moves with the work light into the revealed

room -

30 INT. SULLIVAN MASTER BEDROOM -VAULT -NIGHT 30

It’s a vault! And it’s FULL! There’s cash, naturally,

piles of the stuff. Plus all kinds of other valuables

we’ll get around to.

Luther’s a little stunned --it’s more than he hoped for.

He glances at the armchair --there is a remote on it

that is identical to the one he replaced at the side

table.

Now he opens his duffel all the way and sets to work.

First the cash goes in --all neatly bundled. Large

denominations. Lots of bundles. Next are a series of

slender boxes -

The first box as Luther opens it.

Jewelry.

Into the duffel it goes.

Luther, emptying more jewelry boxes into the duffel. And

still more. As he continues to do this -

31 INT. SULLIVAN MASTER BEDROOM -NIGHT 31

All is quiet. High on a wall, the security light beams a

friendly green.

Now, from somewhere, a distant sound. LAUGHTER? Was it

laughter? Doesn’t matter, it’s gone.

)B( ABSOLUTE POWER -Rev. 5/16/96 10.

32 INT. SULLIVAN VAULT -NIGHT 32

Luther has moved deeper into it --he’s finished with the

jewelry. Now he’s examining piles of bonds.

Into the duffel they go.

He takes a breath, glances around. Perfect.

Coins. Antique ones. They disappear into the duffel.

Stamp books. Gone into the swelling duffel.

Luther as he hears now the DISTANT LAUGHTER.

perfect.

Not so

33 INT. MASTER BEDROOM -NIGHT 33 *

He moves quickly out of the vault, takes a step toward

the door --the GIGGLING is getting LOUDER, closer. Two

people. A man and a woman.

Luther stops, mutters "sh*t!" --glances around --No

place to hide. Luther, grabbing his backpack, moves into

the vault, turns off his work light, and shuts the door

with the remote. The DOOR CLICKS -34

INT. SULLIVAN VAULT -NIGHT 34

--Luther is alone in the darkness.

A burst of LAUGHTER now. Growing nearer still.

Luther moves into the back of the vault, crouches down,

doing his best to hide behind the armchair. Trapped,

Luther waits in silence, trying not to breathe...

Now he can hear a SQUEAK --the BEDROOM DOOR has opened.

HOLD.

35 INT. SULLIVAN MASTER BEDROOM -NIGHT 35

Dark --except for a slant of light from the hall outside

the open bedroom door.

Two people are briefly visible as they enter, a MAN and a

WOMAN. The CLINK of GLASS. Stifled LAUGHTER.

The Woman closes the bedroom door.

Darkness again.

And now the LAUGHING sound increases. GIGGLING, really.

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