Chappaquiddick Page #20

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TED (V.O.)

...or an AFFAIR, God forbid!

Dick Drayne leaps up and shoos the janitor out the door.

DICK DRAYNE:

You don’t need to say another word!

TED (V.O.)

And throw in something about mebeing on sedatives too. Make itsound traumatic.

Ted hangs up. “Line 1” goes dark as “Line 2” starts to lightup. Dick Drayne presses it.

RESTON (V.O.)

This is James Reston of The New

York Times.

DICK DRAYNE:

James. I was just about to callyou. It’s a terrible thing aboutthis accident. The Senator has

suffered a serious concussion.

(beat)

His physician has him on sedativesjust so he can manage the pain.

“Line 3” and “Line 4” fire on. Suddenly, the wholeswitchboard lights up like a Christmas tree.

99.

Drayne gets a lump in his throat.

RESTON (V.O.)

(incredulous)

Sedatives? With a concussion?

INT. KENNEDY COMPOUND - LIVING ROOM - DAY

Ted strolls into the war room with his head held high. Theentire brain trust hang their heads in defeat. Ted doesn'ttake any notice.

TED:

It's done.

McNamara looks up with a scowl on his face.

MCNAMARA:

Your friend the police chief justsank this entire ship.

TED:

What?

MCNAMARA:

He read your written statement tothe press. Three times apparently.

The story will be hitting the wireany minute. It's going to be on thefront page of every paper fromMizzou to Missoula.

TED:

Look. We're not sunk here. That

statement's pretty air tight.

MCNAMARA:

Air tight, huh?

McNamara pulls out a copy of the written statement andreferences it as he speaks.

MCNAMARA (CONT’D)

You contradict yourself in thefirst two sentences!

SORENSEN:

Main Road is paved, Ted! Dike Roadis not. It doesn't take an expertcartographer to tell the difference.

MCNAMARA:

We need to go through this thingline by line.

100.

TED:

You’re all overreacting. I toldyou, Dick is running with theconcussion story. That’ll explainany inconsistencies.

KNOCK. KNOCK. Ann Gargan pokes her head in, looks at Ted.

ANN:

Dick Drayne on the phone for you.

Ted darts over to a multi-line phone. He hits a button andputs the call on speaker.

TED:

Dick. Did the sedative stuff play?

DRAYNE (V.O.)

Did any of you guys actually

consult a physician?

TED:

(defensive)

Yeah. We did!

DRAYNE (V.O.)

Well, according to Reston, youdon't give sedatives to a patientwho's had a concussion! It could

kill them!

Ted grimaces, Drayne's words deliver a final crushing blow.

McNamara tosses his binder aside.

MCNAMARA:

Jesus. The Bay of Pigs was a betterrun operation.

EXT. KENNEDY COMPOUND - DUSK

The windows of the war room overlook a peaceful sunset acrossthe harbor. The men inside hardly move. The flurry ofactivity now slowed to a vanquished standstill.

INT. KENNEDY COMPOUND - DINING ROOM - MORNING

Ted sets the newspaper on the table in front of him.

The date reads:
"SUNDAY, JULY 20TH, 1969".

Ted leans back into his chair. He flaps the sides of his New

York Times and puts his feet up on the table.

Ted scowls with boiling frustration as he flips another page.

101.

The front page headlines read:

-"ASTRONAUTS SWING INTO MOON ORBIT IN PREPARATION FOR

TODAY'S LANDING"

-"WOMAN PASSENGER KILLED, KENNEDY ESCAPES IN CRASH”

EXT. KENNEDY COMPOUND - PORCH - CONTINUOUS

Ann Gargan steps out on to the front porch holding a tray ofcoffee and pastries. Receding down the porch, the entirebrain trust sits reading the same New York Times. The

headline "WOMAN PASSENGER KILLED" creates a recursive opticaleffect, all lined in a row along the veranda.

Sorensen peeks out from behind his paper and glances at Ann.

He then turns his gaze towards the front gate of the compound.

EXT. KENNEDY COMPOUND - GATE - DAY

A throng of REPORTERS mill around the wrought iron gate. Aphotographer with a large telephoto lens pushes his way tothe front and sets up a tripod.

EXT. KENNEDY COMPOUND - PORCH - DAY

The brain trust sits, unmoved, still reading the paper.

McNamara steps out of the front door. He slumps back into hischair and shakes his newspaper.

MCNAMARA:

NBC and CBS are dropping the moonlanding puff piece with Ted.

Sorensen looks over his paper to McNamara.

SORENSEN:

So much for controlling the press.

MCNAMARA:

We need to rebalance this equation.

STEPHEN SMITH:

I have an idea.

INT. EDGARTOWN POLICE STATION - DAY

Chief Arena passes through a congregation of lively reportershovering in front of his secretary’s desk outside his office.

CHIEF ARENA:

As soon as I have more information,

I’ll give it to you.

102.

Arena enters his office, shutting the door behind him. Heturns to see James Steele holding his black leather messengerbag, his hat casts a dark shadow over his face.

CHIEF ARENA (CONT’D)

Who are you?

James Steele takes off his hat, revealing a clean cut,

handsome man with a cold, intellectual disposition. Heextends a friendly hand to the Chief.

JAMES STEELE:

James Steele, special prosecutorassigned to the Ted Kennedy case.

The D.A.'s office felt that theyneeded someone with a little more

objectivity.

The Chief breathes a sigh of relief and shakes his hand.

CHIEF ARENA:

Thank God. We can use all the helphere we can get.

INT. KENNEDY COMPOUND - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Markham rolls a TV cart in front of the tightly huddled braintrust. He plugs it in and clicks through the channels.

Markham lands on ABC where archival footage shows newscasterFrank Reynolds reporting on the historic moon landingintercut with Ted's interview with the ABC Reporter.

ABC REPORTER:

The following piece includes aninterview with Senator Edward

Kennedy, filmed on Friday morning.

SORENSEN:

Turn it up, Paul.

Markham adjusts the volume.

ABC REPORTER:

It is strictly on the subject ofthe moon landing.

The rest of the brain trust shuffle in their seats. McNamara

rolls up his sleeves.

ABC REPORTER (CONT’D)

It has nothing to do with theincident at Martha's Vineyard.

Patriotic music plays, transitioning to Ted’s interview. Helooks handsome, confident, and even presidential.

103.

SORENSEN:

Anyone tuning in now would thinkeverything is business as usualwith the Kennedys.

INT. KENNEDY COMPOUND - JOSEPH KENNEDY'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

Joseph Kennedy and Ann Gargan’s faces are lit by nothing butthe glow of the TV screen. Joseph Sr. sits in his wheelchair,

dressed in a robe with a quilt draped across his lap. Annsits next to him sipping a cup of hot tea.

TED (V.O.)

I think my brother set the coursefor the whole nation in a way thatwe can never abandon.

Joseph Kennedy stares blankly at the screen.

Patriotic music plays over archival footage of JFK careerhighlights.

A heretofore unseen smile inches across Joseph Kennedy'sface. He beams with pride and joy as the music swells.

INT. KENNEDY COMPOUND - DEN - CONTINUOUS

The rest of the immediate Kennedy family packs around the TV.

A dozen or more children, including Bobby's eight, spread outacross floor. At the center, sitting on the floor with them,

Ted holds his son TEDDY JR., 8, in his lap.

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