Copycat Page #10

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HELEN:

...falling... FALLING!

He pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring

her against the feeling of free-fall.

RUBEN:

I'm right here. I won't let you

fall.

He still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the

proximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She

begins to hyperventilate.

HELEN:

Don't let go... I can't breathe...

I'll die!

RUBEN:

Shhh. It's okay. Just breathe.

I'll fix it...

RUBEN takes out his gun...

RUBEN:

Put your hands over your ears.

RUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and

carries her back into her apartment.

INT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

RUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw

up over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it

to her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer

water, then watches her take the pills. After which he

takes the bottle and pockets it.

HELEN:

The lock...

RUBEN:

I'll get a locksmith.

HELEN:

Will you stay? Please? I'm afraid

to sleep... I don't want...him...in

my head...

RUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes

close, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a

nervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.

CLOSE UP HELEN:

We hear a faint but impatient voice call:

V.O.

Peter... Peter...

CROSS FADE TO:

INT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT

Dim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not

comfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.

She is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks

older. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE

DOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and

video, on which a movie's final credits are running.

THE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON

PETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.

Boyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near

his hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts

the tape on 'eject.'

WOMAN:

Put in the Kevin Costner.

PETER:

Why don't we save it for later?

It's almost time for Letterman.

WOMAN:

You know I don't like to watch talk

shows by myself. Where're you?

He inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he

approaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a

lock of hair back from the forehead.

She ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE

DOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.

WOMAN:

See, now you've annoyed her. You

know she doesn't like you to touch

me.

(to dog)

Does she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve

you so much!

(to Peter)

Did you feed her?

PETER:

Yes, I fed her. If she says she's

hungry, she's lying to you. Again.

WOMAN:

She doesn't lie! You sure you fed

her?

PETER:

She lies all the time. Why would I

say I fed her if I didn't?

WOMAN:

That's what I don't know. Why

would you lie? That's the

problem... I can't understand why

anyone would lie.

He leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking

to her dog over the TV soundtrack.

WOMAN (cont'd)

You wouldn't lie to Mummy, would

you? Just to get Dad in trouble?

Such a naughty widdle dog...

HER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a

small, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,

then through a door leading to the basement. He locks the

basement door behind him.

THE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets

and computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a

small TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,

freeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an

outdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.

PETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over

something to turn the video back on.

The CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is

the YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a

table, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,

but not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being

asphyxiated by slow degrees.

PETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to

repeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made

toward his wife. He whispers:

PETER:

Didn't I promise I'd come right

back?

CUT TO:

EXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN

ALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of

glorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves

down, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom

of the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A

few festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new

CRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a

number of unmarked cars.

RUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.

As he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH

THE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S

stubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns

away. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.

RUBEN:

Up all night with a sick friend.

NIKKO'S face is tight with anger.

NIKKO:

You dumb son of a b*tch! You don't

even know how to treat a woman.

RUBEN:

Who? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to

me why she gave you the boot...

He moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE

WOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is

now tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath

a sign that says "NO DUMPING". The usual technicians,

photographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.

RUBEN:

Is Niccoletti assigned here?

M.J.

(angry about it)

Quinn decided we should form a task

force -- they're all one case, now.

He wants all the senior detectives

on it...

(to Doc)

She wasn't killed here.

DOC:

Not likely.

M.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels

beside her... to Ruben...

M.J.

Tell me what you see.

He inspects the dead girl's fingernails.

RUBEN:

She didn't fight back, no hair or

skin under her fingernails. I'm

not seeing any bruises or

contusions...

M.J.

What about her arms?

RUBEN:

Needle marks, fresh, here. look at

this...

Nikko appears, looming over her...

NIKKO:

Probably so stoned she never knew

what got her. Like Goetz's sick

friend. Right Goetz?

They ignore him. M.J. stands...

RUBEN:

She's blue as hell. No marks on her

neck. Asphyxiated? not the same --

no ligature marks. Outdoors...

M.J.

Look at her legs.

RUBEN:

Spread out like she was sexually

assaulted here.

DOC:

After she was dead.

RUBEN:

She was dragged up here from the

road, you can see the tracks. She

was already dead or unconscious.

Let's get plaster casts on any --

all footprints.

M.J.

If this is just the dump site,

where did he do the job? Where did

he pick her up?

NIKKO:

Doped up kids all over town. Park

was full of them last night. Very

easy pickin'. Goetz's type.

Ruben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes

Ruben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between

them. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...

M.J.

What the hell are you doing? The

Mouth and the Haircut are right

down there, thank God they didn't

see that.

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