Apt Pupil Page #3

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INT. RONNY PEGLER'S GARAGE - DUSK

Todd sits on one of the boxes surrounded by dozens of the old

magazines. The door to the house opens and Ronny, looking

cross, pokes his head out.

RONNY:

Todd, your mom's on the phone. She says you

have to come home for dinner. ...Todd?

Todd, lost in the sea of old photographs, doesn't notice Ronny

at first. Then he looks up at him. In his eyes is a glint of a

darkness that we will come to know better.

TODD:

What?

RONNY:

(suddenly wary of Todd)

Your mom's on the phone.

ANGLE on Todd.

INT. DUSSANDER'S LIVING ROOM - DAY

TODD:

Nowadays you have to... soften it.

DUSSANDER:

Why do I care about this?

TODD:

Because, I don't want it softened.

Todd hops up and begins to pace the floor. Dussander stares at

him blankly, unsure of where this is going.

DUSSANDER:

I am sure you trouble your parents to no end.

TODD:

Actually, I'm pretty low maintenance. That's

what my dad says.

DUSSANDER:

You told your parents about me, then?

TODD:

You think I'm crazy?

DUSSANDER:

I think you're crackers, but go on. I'm

riveted.

Todd looks deep into Dussander's eyes. Dussander is

uncomfortable. Slowly, Todd reaches out and brushes his finger

against Dussander's hand. Dussander gets up.

DUSSANDER (CONT'D)

What are you doing?

Pause.

TODD:

And then it happened... I was on my way to

the library. It was raining...

FLASHBACK:
INT. CITY BUS - DAY

Todd's voice narrates what we are seeing. Todd, seated near the

back of the bus, watches Dussander climb aboard. Todd thinks

nothing of it at first, but soon finds that he is unable to take

his eyes off him. Todd is trying to place the old man's face in

his mind...

TODD (V.O.)

You climbed on the bus and started this slow

walk down the aisle. Just like you were

examining a new batch of inmates. I don't

think anybody gave you a second glance but

me, but somehow ...people seemed to move out

of your way. And under your arm you carried

a rolled up umbrella. But what really did

it, what really set me off was the coat. You

were wearing this long black rain coat. My

mind suddenly flipped back to a picture of

you taken at Patin. You in your S.S.

greatcoat with a riding crop under your arm.

INT. DUSSANDER'S LIVING ROOM - DAY

TODD:

It was incredible.

Dussander stares back at him flatly.

DUSSANDER:

All of this... because of a rain coat?

TODD:

Well, it wasn't that easy. I mean, I had to

really check up on it. And every picture of

you in those books is forty years old, at

least. I went back to the library to find

the picture. And then I matched it with the

photos I took.

DUSSANDER:

You took photographs of me?

TODD:

Yeah, I got this little camera. Fits right

in the palm of my hand.

DUSSANDER:

(crunches cigarette into ashtray)

Clever boy.

TODD:

But even then I couldn't be sure. I needed

real proof. So I went to the mall and bought

a fingerprint kit from the hobby shop and a

book that tells you what you're supposed to

look for and then dusted your mailbox while

you were at the movies. Pretty smart, huh?

DUSSANDER:

You... put dust on my mailbox? For

fingerprints? You took photographs of me?

What else did you do?... I don't believe any

of this.

TODD:

I already had a copy of your fingerprints.

They're on your want sheet from the Israeli

government. It's on database at UC Irvine.

Can you believe that?

DUSSANDER:

Bourbon.

He storms toward the kitchen and stops.

DUSSANDER (CONT'D)

Would you care for a drink, boy?

TODD:

Sure, you got a Coke?

DUSSANDER:

No Kok.

TODD:

Milk?

DUSSANDER:

Milk.

Dussander disappears into the kitchen. Todd stands alone in the

living room.

He lets out a long, nervous breath, showing for the first time

the presence of something other than the cold confidence he has

been putting up for Dussander. He knows he has crossed into

dangerous territory from which there is no going back. But

after a moment he composes himself; he has come this far. The

sternness returns to his eyes. Todd is all business. He takes

a breath, and then speaks loudly enough for Dussander to hear

him in the kitchen.

TODD:

It takes eight good matches, they're called

compares, actually, for a fingerprint to get

accepted in court.

DUSSANDER (O.S.)

Is that right?

FLASHBACK:
EXT. DUSSANDER'S FRONT PORCH - DAY

Todd steps up onto the porch and looks around calmly. He pulls

the powder and brush from his pocket and begins to examine the

mailbox for prints.

TODD (V.O.)

Yeah, there were two sets of prints. The

first I figured were the mailman's. Once I

knew what I was looking for, yours were easy

to spot.

INT. DUSSANDER'S LIVING ROOM - DAY

DUSSANDER (O.S.)

You should be a detective.

The SOUNDS of a refrigerator opening and closing come from the

kitchen. Drinks being poured. Todd begins to move slowly

toward the kitchen.

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