Copycat Page #22

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M.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,

Rush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.

RADIO NEWS:

...that I resent the tone of the

Police and their attitude? That

this is just some weird queer

event, just because they couldn't

stop this guy until he did himself,

if you even believe that...

M.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,

instead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,

furious with HELEN, with everything, she swears and wheels

the car into a tight illegal u-turn.

CUT TO:

EXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT

It is extra time, which means party time or those who've

finished and solitary and group study time for the rest.

And there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were

being born about the time of the original event. TRACKING

SHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE

AVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE

HAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE

HAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.

M.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.

DECIDES:
F*** IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,

SHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:

POV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG

It is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot

jammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she

could easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and

moves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,

studying, arguing...

INT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT

MAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is

playing. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO

A COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS

LAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a

girl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...

GIRL:

Goddamn it! This is brand new!

Where're you going?

As M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...

GIRL:

No, you don't spill all over

somebody and just walk away, you

damn well pay the cleaning bill...

M.J.

Police business -- take your heads

off.

GIRL:

Bullshit!

M.J. holds up the badge...

M.J.

Don't make me pull the gun...

She jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is

yelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back

to SEE.

PETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his

books, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the

crowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is

getting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from

sight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..

IT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.

M.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...

M.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN

THIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.

A SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE

REHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...

OVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES

DOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.

IT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT

OPEN, BURSTING IN:

INT. ROOM

A BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER

IS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY

ARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.

WHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --

THEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE

SIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.

STUDENT:

Swallow the joint! It's Barney

Phyfe -- in drag!

THEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.

THE HALL.

M.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.

EXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS

SHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS

GONE.

SHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE

A NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.

INT. M.J'S CAR

AS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE

ACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS

HER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE

DISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...

THERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE

HERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.

HE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO

DRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL

LEE CULLUM'S.

CUT TO:

INT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Helen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.

INT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT

INSERT:
TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.

AT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF

SOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:

HELEN (V.O.)

(thinking it's M.J.)

Where are you?

PETER (V.O.)

Hi. It's your worst student, Peter

Foley -- how do you grade me now,

Doctor?

HELEN ON PHONE:

HELEN:

(beat)

Who was the man in the basement?

PETER:

You like that action? Didn't that

cop on TV look solemn? The guy in

the basement doesn't matter,

anyway, just another lonely heart.

HELEN:

Where are you, Peter?

PETER:

You thought I was going to do Ted

Bundy next, so you sent your

partner...

Helen gasps with the implications of that...

PETER:

What was that? What am I hearing?

The sound of an epiphany, a sudden

blinding insight?

HELEN:

It's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?

PETER:

Mm-hmm. I can't get to you. You

have to come to me.

HELEN:

You know I can't do that.

PETER:

Oh, I think you will.

Peter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...

M.J.

(yelling)

Call the police! Now! Call Qui...

Peter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are

parked in front of the Lecture Hall.

HELEN:

For God's sake Peter, leave her out

of it. You don't want her, you

want me.

PETER:

I need her; she's a cop. I have to

kill a cop, and then...

HELEN:

You've been perfect. Don't spoil

the symmetry -- you have to have a

male cop.

PETER:

I don't care -- she's a cop. That's

the important thing. Cop-ness, not

sex-ness. It won't be perfect, but

it'll be good.

M.J.

(yells)

Call Quinn and Saks.

PETER:

I'm tired. I want it to end

tonight, don't you?

HELEN:

Yes. I do. I want it to end now.

Let her go. I'll come -- just let

her go. She's not important.

PETER:

You know where.

HELEN:

Where it began -- McCluskey

Auditorium.

He hangs up.

INSERT:
TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL

COMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING

SUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T

HEAR:

COMPUTER VOICE:

Time Zero-hundred and twenty -- two

minutes and sixteen seconds June

twelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320

1854 Court order Alpha Bravo

9765910...

BATHROOM DRAWER:

It is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the

wooden drawer:
her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer

garbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS

RELOAD IT.

EXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT

Helen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.

FRED snaps out of a sound sleep.

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