Body of Proof Page #4

(deflated)

...within the normal range. So

much for hyponatremia.

He walks to the examination table where A WOMAN'S BODY lies

covered by a sheet. He pulls it down to reveal the face. A

woman around Elliot's age. They both stare at her.

ELLIOT:

(beat)

You know, I never stop expecting

their eyes to pop open right about

now.

A beat. They both wait for it.

INT. EXAMINATION ROOM #1 -MORNING

Peter carries a cross-section of brain to a work table where

it joins a series of others laid out in a row. Megan walks

the length of the table studying them with a magnifying

glass.

MEGAN:

Mild depression and hemosiderin

staining in the frontal lobe...

(moving to the next cross-

section)

...and the classic coup-contrecoup *

pattern of prior brain trauma...

(moving to the next cross-

section)

...causing a unilateral lesion of

the amygdala.

Christopher Murphey -Body of Evidence -1/11/10 18.

PETER:

What does all that mean?

MEGAN:

It means our girl's been hit on the

head before. And I have friends,

thank you very much.

PETER:

Yeah, like who?

She ignores the question -

MEGAN:

The amygdala regulates emotional *

learning and fear conditioning and *

plays a significant role in sexual *

arousal. A lesion like this would *

throw normal activity on its head. *

I've seen at least one study *

showing a lesioned amygdala can *

result in loss of fear or

hyperemotionality or even

hypersexuality....

Her voice trails off as she processes what this might mean. *

Peter meanwhile still thinks they're having a conversation. *

PETER:

Seriously, name one friend.

MEGAN:

Call the lab. Tell them to rush

those diaphragm results.

He looks at her. She looks at him. So much for *

conversation. He heads for the wall-mounted phone but before *

he gets there it starts ringing. *

PETER:

(answering)

Room 1, this is Maxwell...?

INT. CAR -MORNING

Megan flips through various pages of a file stamped "Thomas

Jefferson Hospital" as Peter drives.

MEGAN:

She was admitted two years ago with

severe head trauma and spent twelve

days in a coma. Thrown down a

flight of stairs by her boyfriend.

Christopher Murphey -Body of Evidence -1/11/10 19.

PETER:

The guy's name is Tom Burris. Det.

Morris pulled his jacket. He was

paroled three weeks ago and lives

in a halfway house in Overbrook.

Morris says we can only come if we

keep quiet.

MEGAN:

Like that's going to happen.

INT. HALFWAY HOUSE -MORNING

TOM BURRIS sits on a cot facing Detectives Morris and Baker

as Megan and Peter hang back by the door. Burris is white,

mid 30's, and we should recognize him. He's the man in our

opening scene loitering by the river, wearing a hoodie.

BURRIS:

I was picking up trash around City

Hall this morning. It's part of my

work release.

DET. MORRIS

City Hall's a two minute cab ride

from the Park.

BURRIS:

I've known Angela since high

school, okay? I didn't kill her, I

loved her. I would never hurt her.

DET. BAKER *

What do you call throwing her down

a flight of stairs?

BURRIS:

I didn't do that either. We got

into a fight. The neighbors heard

us yelling at each other but theydidn't see her fall all by herself.

I got screwed, man.

DET. MORRIS

Then why didn't Angela back up your

story?

MEGAN:

She couldn't. Post coma memory

loss.

BURRIS:

Yeah, that's right.

Christopher Murphey -Body of Evidence -1/11/10 20.

Det. Morris stares at Megan. She smiles helpfully.

MEGAN:

It's consistent with the autopsy.

Then, to Burris -

MEGAN:

I don't suppose you two had sex

this morning, did you?

EXT. HALFWAY HOUSE -MORNING

Detectives Morris and Baker, Megan and Peter.

DET. MORRIS

Here's how this is supposed to

work. We ask the questions, you

tell us what you know, and WE catch

the bad guy, okay?

MEGAN:

So this morning you weren't

serious, you were just mocking me.

Det. Morris takes another verbal jab to the chin. Once again *

we catch Det. Baker admiring Megan's pluck. *

DET. MORRIS

Even if Angela fell down the stairs

accidentally, that's all the more

reason for Burris to hold a grudge

against Angela when he got out of

prison.

MEGAN:

Okay. Let's say he did hold agrudge. Angela was hit on the back

of the head as she ran under the

bridge. If Burris killed her,

don't you think he'd want her to

see him, to know it was him paying

her back for sending him to prison?

But there were no defensive wounds

on Angela. She didn't put up a

fight because she never saw it

coming. Burris didn't do it.

DET. MORRIS

So what's your theory? She calls

him up for some ex-con sex? Under

a bridge on her morning run?

Here's a real theory. He bashed

her over the head and killed her.

Christopher Murphey -Body of Evidence -1/11/10 21.

Det. Morris turns his unhappy gaze to Peter.

DET. MORRIS

Next time you want to come along,

forget it.

Detectives Morris heads for the car. Det. Baker trails *

after. Peter looks at Megan. She is serenely unfazed. *

MEGAN:

We need to know more about Angela.

EXT. SWANSON HOUSE -DAY

Fishtown. The docklands at the eastern edge of the city.

Narrow row houses inhabited by white working class poor. In

front of one row house a WHITE SEDAN with the Philadelphia ME

Office logo pulls up. Peter and Megan emerge.

INT. SWANSON HOUSE -MOMENTS LATER

Megan stands at the mantle looking at photographs several

rows deep. Everything from Angela's baby pictures to her law

school graduation. Many of Angela on cross country teams.

Many of her posing with a black Labrador Retriever.

MAN'S VOICE (O.S.)

We've already spoken to the police.

Megan turns. Behind her stand MR. AND MRS. SWANSON, early

60's. They're clearly in the midst of the worst day of theirlives. Peter hangs by the door.

MEGAN:

I know, and I know this is

difficult for you but it helps me

fill in the picture of your

daughter. So if it's okay, when

did you last talk to her?

MRS. SWANSON

About a week ago. She'd justfinished a trial.

MEGAN:

What did you talk about?

MRS. SWANSON

Just a hello. She was going tobed. She had a sore throat.

That's news to Megan. She c*cks an eyebrow at Peter.

Christopher Murphey -Body of Evidence -1/11/10 22.

PETER:

It was strep.

MEGAN:

And you were planning on telling mewhen?

PETER:

(oops)

Now?

MEGAN:

What was she taking for it?

A blank look. He whips out his cell phone and steps out the

front door. Megan returns to the photographs.

MEGAN:

Did Angela's dog ever bite her?

MR. SWANSON

You mean the scars on her arm? No.

Buddy was killed by a pit bull.

Angela tried to stop it.

Another piece of information filed away.

MEGAN:

I see a lot of pictures of Angela

alone. Did she have any friends?

MR. SWANSON

Not many. Angela was all about her

grades in school, all about her

career thereafter.

Megan can relate. The door opens again. Peter returns with

the answer -

PETER:

She was taking Erythromycin.

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