Copycat Page #23

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HELEN:

It's all over, Fred. They got the

guy. You go home to your own bed

now.

FRED:

I got to have that from my

superior. One guy fired off this

job already.

HELEN:

Call in. Use my phone. They'll

tell you -- it's all over.

FRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR

REASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.

THE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER

FRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO

LONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...

HELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.

HER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND

PRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND

MOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.

HER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP

SPEED...

HER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.

HELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA

IS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...

EXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT

The door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the

street and the night... One more threshold to cross...

STREET:
HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND

IT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the

lights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast,

stirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.

HELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.

INT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the

door and locking it. She drives off into the night.

EXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

A broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted

facade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM

BEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!

REVERSE:
HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.

SAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN

FROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET

FLAGGING HER DOWN --

SHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE

DOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...

SAKS:

Ma'am, please get out of your

vehicle...

HELEN:

Merry, how... oh, Christ, of

course, you had my phone tapped.

SAKS:

Just get out of your vehicle...

HELEN:

He's got Sergeant Halloran in

there. He'll kill her the minute

he sees or hears your people...

SAKS:

You've been very useful, Doctor, we

appreciate all you've done, and now

the professional will take over...

HELEN:

He wants me, he doesn't care about

her. Let me...

SAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE

DRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE

GAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND

FALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS

TOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...

SAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN

AFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING

HIM FROM SHOOTING.

NEW ANGLE:
Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed

street into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and

brakes behind M.J.'s car.

CLOSE:
HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.

She gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers

make an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up

the wide stairs...

INT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

The huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,

listening:
light streams in from the exterior through tall

windows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough

without the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily

returns...

Helen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.

She stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a

building cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of

Peter somewhere in the room?

She whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the

auditorium...

CLOSE:
HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.

THEN:

PETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE

VISION SNAPS.

HELEN:
SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO

A DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK

CORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.

THE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE

WALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE

SAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE

DOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE

SHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.

REPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM

BEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE

FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM

HER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,

BUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN

TERRIBLE SLOW MOTION INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING

AT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO

HER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE

COP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.

HELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!

CLOSE:
HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT

ALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN

THE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.

AS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,

BLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT

DRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE

BROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.

IT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT

ONTO THE TILE FLOOR.

SHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.

EXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT

THEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.

SWAT:

Oh, man?! Let us in there.

SAKS:

Go. Go. Go!

Men begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows

toward the Auditorium...

INT. LADIES' ROOM

HELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE

SHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:

M.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID

IN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE

FROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...

HELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO

OUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,

REGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.

PETER:

You cheated! You said you'd come

die with me.

WITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE

HANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER

HEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR

OF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,

WHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.

EXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

WITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE

AUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;

THEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING

THE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...

INT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT

PETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY

SCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE

TO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO

TAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP

AT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.

PETER:

Listen to them! We'll be on all

three channels.

HELEN:

Kill me, Peter, do it, now.

PETER:

No. Not yet.

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