Chasing Sleep Page #8

---

Mazurek comes up behind Derm and says something inaudibly in his ear.

DERM:

Is it alright if Mazurek uses the bathroom?

ED:

Excuse me?

DERM:

The bathroom. May we use the bathroom? We might be here for a while.

ED:

No. The toilet is stuffed up. Actually. Do you mind leaving? I just would like to be alone.

DERM:

Mr Saxon. I'm sorry about the intrusions into your privacy, but you must understand: my first priority is finding your wife. There is still a great deal to go over. We might want to notify the press.

ED:

The press?

DERM:

In cases like this, when we don't have many substantial leads, getting a picture of your wife on TV can be invaluably helpful.

ED:

I don't know if I'm comfortable with that.

DERM:

We still have options left, but without a thorough search of your wife's belongings, those options are extremely limited.

ED:

I want to be helpful, but I really don't see how, if you think she was kidnapped, I don't see how it helps you to search around our things.

DERM:

We don't know that she was kidnapped. We can't draw those kinds of conclusions. She could have simply decided that she needed some time alone. We have to consider every possibility.

ED:

I just don't see how it helps.

DERM:

I don't want to argue with you. We're trying to help you. This is our job.

ED:

I understand.

DERM:

It is in the best interest of your wife that you let us do that job without impediment.

ED:

I don't want to get in the way. I just would like some time alone. You can comes back tomorrow, but, please. I'm very tired. I know it might seem irrational, but I haven't slept in a long time and this is all extremely overwhelming. Please. I need to be alone.

DERM:

Certainly. If I could just take those receipts.

ED:

Sure. Here. Take them all.

The receipts are on the desk in front of him and he hands them to Derm.

Derm reaches out for the diary.

ED:

I'd like to keep this.

DERM:

There are some things it may be better not to know, especially if your wife comes back.

ED:

I can give it to you tomorrow, if you still want it.

Ed leaves the diary on Eve's writing table and walks the officers out.

INT. LIVING ROOM

DERM:

Mr Saxon. Is there something wrong with your answering machine?

ED:

Yes. It broke when I fell on it.

DERM:

You haven't been answering your phone.

ED:

It hasn't rung.

Derm looks at the phone and sees the ringer is turned off.

DERM:

The ringer is off.

ED:

Oh. I must have turned it off.

DERM:

What if your wife calls?

DERM:

Yes. Of course. I wasn't thinking.

DERM:

Could you please leave the phone on from now on?

ED:

Yes. I thought I was. OK. Thank you.

DERM:

I'll be calling to let you know how things go with Mr Simian.

ED:

Yes. Thank you.

Derm and the officers leave.

Ed lets out a sigh of relief. He touches his forehead and it obviously hurts.

He goes back into the bathroom.

INT. BATHROOM

He opens the medicine cabinet and searches through the plethora of over-the-counter medicine crowding the shelves. He takes a bottle of Midol, or some other feminine pain-killer. He takes a few of them and chases them down with a handful of tap water.

Then he turns to the toilet, lifts the lid and looks at the stuffed-up mess.

He rolls up his sleeve and sticks his hand in the bowl. He searches around for the finger.

The phone rings. He gives up searching and, with some wet toilet paper stuck to his arm, hurries to answer the phone.

INT. LIVING ROOM

Ed picks up the phone.

ED:

Hello.

MRS MASTRIONI:

Mr Saxon. This is Mrs Mastrioni, from the Dean's office.

ED:

Yes?

MRS MASTRIONI:

Mr Saxon. You are supposed to call us when you plan on missing class. There were students waiting for you.

ED:

Yes. I know. I'm just having some personal problems.

MRS MASTRIONI:

Anyway, the Dean wants to see you.

ED:

The Dean?

MRS MASTRIONI:

Yes. Can you come in today?

ED:

No. What does he want to see me about?

MRS MASTRIONI:

I don't know.

ED:

Is it about me missing classes?

MRS MASTRIONI:

It might be.

ED:

What's that supposed to mean?

MRS MASTRIONI:

It means that if I was the Dean, and I wanted to see you, that is what it would be about.

ED:

What kind of bullshit is that?

MRS MASTRIONI:

There's no need to get upset, Mr Saxon.

ED:

Am I being fired? Is that it?

MRS MASTRIONI:

Look, I don't know. The Dean said he wanted to see you.

ED:

Well, I can't see him.

MRS MASTRIONI:

Personal problems?

ED:

That's right. Yes.

MRS MASTRIONI:

That's too bad.

ED:

Yes it is too bad. Because I know what you're trying to do.

MRS MASTRIONI:

Really? What's that?

ED:

You know what? Why don't you tell the Dean to go f*** himself?

MRS MASTRIONI:

Mr Saxon...

ED:

And you go f*** yourself too.

MRS MASTRIONI:

Does this mean that you won't be coming to class tomorrow?

ED:

F*** you!

Ed slams the phone down.

INT. BATHROOM

Ed takes the bottle of Midol from the medicine cabinet and takes a few more.

Then he notices a trail of pink water leading from the toilet, along the bathroom floor and into the hallway.

He follows the trail.

INT. HALLWAY

The trail leads up to the pinkie finger. Ed watches while the finger moves, inchworm-like, across the floor, toward Eve's room, leaving a wet trail behind it.

Ed watches for a second while he decides what to do.

He quickly grabs the finger and takes it to the kitchen sink. He drops it in the sink, pushes it down the drain and flicks the garbage disposal on. He turns the water on and leaves it running until it sounds like there is nothing left of the finger.

When he turns it off, he sticks his hand in, searching for any remnants of the finger. It appears to have gone down.

He takes the sponge and wets it.

INT. HALLWAY

He wipes up the trail of the finger, following it back into the bathroom.

INT. BATHROOM

He looks at the toilet, which is still stuffed up.

INT. BASEMENT

Ed searches around the basement for a plunger. The basement is full of strange sounds, all ruminating from the exposed pipes.

He finds a plunger among some other tools and starts back upstairs, but on his way upstairs, he finds that there is a puddle of water on the floor. He traces the source of the puddle to the pipe that was only moist before. It is now dripping slowly and a large pool of dirty water is collecting in the shallow recess of the cement floor.

Ed stares into the murky, black pool.

There is a knock on the door upstairs and Ed turns to answer it.

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Ed answers the door and sees that it is now dark outside.

GEOFFREY COSTAS stands outside. Geoffrey, 54, is a wise, patient man. He is formal and calm in his manner, but these qualities belie a warm emotional vulnerability. Physically, he is not small or weak. One gets the impression that he wasn't always so kind.

GEOFFREY:

Mr Saxon?

ED:

Yes.

GEOFFREY:

Hello. My name is Geoffrey Costas. I'm from Human Support Services.

ED:

I'm not interested.

GEOFFREY:

Detective Derm asked me to stop by.

He hands him a business card. Ed takes the card and looks it over.

GEOFFREY:

You've been hit.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes