Copycat Page #5

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RUBEN:

None of your f***ing business.

Usurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face

close to RUBEN'S window.

ANDY:

Listen, a**hole, I've got a gun...

RUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the

car. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up

ANDY'S nose.

RUBEN:

I hate this...

ANDY:

Only kidding!

RUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S

head in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams

door, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk

position. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,

RUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.

M.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES

FAST AND GETS OUT.

HELEN at window, shouting.

HELEN:

I'm calling the police!

CUT TO:

INT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY

Andy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her

badge to Helen.

M.J.

Investigators Halloran and Goetz. I

apologize for Goetz, he's a

firehouse dog.

ANDY:

(trying to defuse)

I'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed

it.

Uncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in

what's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is

confused, fighting back fear...

M.J.

(trying to communicate

here)

Ring the gong, he goes. Poor

impulse control.

HELEN:

Is he out?

M.J.

Who?

HELEN:

(to Andy)

If he's not out, why are they here?

M.J.

Because of your phone calls.

HELEN:

What calls? I haven't made any

calls.

ANDY:

(to distract)

Are you staying long? Shall I shut

the door? Make your coffee? Make

the beds?

M.J.

(to Helen)

You talked to me. Do you remember?

The two women measure each other, Helen struggling to

control herself. A beat.

HELEN:

You were the one that talked about

moonbikes and called me a crank?

Oh God, I am!

(to Andy)

Make them some coffee.

(to M.J.)

Halloran, is it? Investigator

Goetz? I had a crank call myself--

he said...

(a moment of real

fear)

I thought it might be Daryll Lee

Cullum. I thought he might be out

of prison.

RUBEN:

Daryll Lee Cullum? I don't think

so. If he's escaped we'd have the

National Guard, cops'd be crawling

through sewers. You'd have a guard

on your front door.

M.J.

(looking around)

I want to tell you it's a great

honor to meet you and talk to you.

HELEN:

You don't admire me. No police

admire me. I got one of you

killed. Why don't you say right

out what you're here for?

M.J.

You called us, Doctor Hudson.

HELEN:

Yes, I did. Poor impulse control.

The accounts of the firs two

murders made it so clear they were

the work of the same man, but you

kept announcing they were

unrelated. You'll never catch him

that way.

M.J. regards her for a moment...

M.J.

(to Andy)

Sugar and cream for Goetz; I take

mine black.

(beat)

You're absolutely correct. The

politicians don't want panic

headlines spoiling the Festival of

Love.

HELEN:

Well, let's thank God you and

Inspector Goetz are on the case,

then.

M.J.

Would you want to work with us on

this?

HELEN:

Oh, my God, no! I'm a clinical

hysteric, with panic syndrome, and

anxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm

afraid of everything, real and

imaginary. I never leave this

apartment now. Nobody ever comes

here. I just wanted to get your

attention. I write and I used to

lecture on these crimes, but... I'm

not competent.

M.J.

I think you are. I really admire

everything you've done; it would be

an honor to work with you, and we

need all the help we can get,

especially yours.

HELEN:

Inspector Halloran, that is so much

bullshit, you don't like or admire

me, but the beautiful part is I

don't give a f***. That's the

upside of having a breakdown.

M.J.

Well, it's a hell of an apartment

you got here. I'm living one step

away from the projects, myself, but

I get to go to work every day,

wading in blood and guts. I guess

the books you wrote about these

sons of b*tches paid off pretty

good.

HELEN:

Will you go. Andy, make them go.

M.J.

You can't go out lecturing? Tough

sh*t. Women are dying. Where can

I lay this stuff out?

She dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail

table.

HELEN:

I don't want this. What are they?

RUBEN:

You called us, Doctor, if you don't

want to look at them here, how

about downtown. I'll drive you

down...

She pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up

to leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the

force of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...

Andy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen

fights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races

back in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND

FACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...

THE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until

she faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,

treating her very gently...

ANDY:

(to Ruben)

Now look what you did.

RUBEN:

What did I do?

ANDY:

You threatened to drive her

downtown. She has agoraphobia.

RUBEN:

Fear of what...

ANDY:

Open space. She hasn't been out of

this apartment in three years. I

didn't used to think it was real...

He's making her comfortable.

M.J.

We'll get the paramedics...

ANDY:

Oh, God, uniforms, more stress.

Let her sleep. It's a self-limiting:

she hyperventilates till she passes

out, then her breathing goes back

to normal, and she wakes up singing

like a lark.

(rocking the

unconscious Helen)

We know, don't we, Princess?

(to them)

Give her a couple of hours. I know

about this.

M.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is

angry and disgusted.

M.J.

Tell her we're sorry we bothered

her.

ANDY:

Hey, no. Leave those here. If you

really want her help. I mean if

you really do, leave them. Let her

see them. I'll see they're safe...

M.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;

Andy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos

strewn around. Makes a decision...

M.J.

Tell her to ask for me...

She's handing Andy her card...

CUT TO:

EXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY

M.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH

ANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...

M.J.

Snotty neurotic b*tch...

RUBEN:

(amused)

Classy madonna.

M.J.

Sure. She likes you, Rube. She

likes the way you move. She sure

as hell isn't in love with me.

RUBEN:

You came in there with this

attitude...

M.J.

(over him)

Order Chinese for us and meet me

the library? Anything but beef.

She jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move

to his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER

ANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.

We can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN

HIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE

PHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY

DISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.

HE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT

HOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.

THEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER

POINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES

ANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING

WALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE

ANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO

IT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.

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