Dark City Page #11

Stromboli is looking through his desk drawers now.

STROMBOLI:

What for?

BUMSTEAD:

His reports are of no help.

Kowolsi has fabricated a bizarre

paranoid delusion. I thought if I

could interview him personally I

might...

STROMBOLI:

Leave him alone, Bumstead.

BUMSTEAD:

It's extremely important to my

investigation...

STROMBOLI:

Let me be the judge of that. You've

seen for yourself he's unstable -

by all rights I should've released

him from service - it's only for

the sake of his familt that I've

kept him on wages. Now, anything

else?

Stromboli is looking under his desk.

BUMSTEAD:

Actually, I was wondering if you

could give me a few uniforms, to

follow up for me...

STROMBOLI O.S.

(pokes head above desk)

Impossible. Got trouble up to my

ears right now - can't spare

anyone. Get your assistant to do

that for you, she seems a capable

girl...

Stromboli stands, looks behind pictures hanging off the walls. A

big sign suspended above his desk says: SO MUCH TO DO, SO LITTLE

TIME.

BUMSTEAD:

Lost something, sir?

STROMBOLI:

What makes you think that! If you

would just learn to concentrate on

facts, not get so side-tracked -

you might get things done faster

and...

The door clicks shut. Stromboli looks up - Bumstead has gone.

INT. POLICE STATION/SHOOTING GALLERY - LATER

A series of ply-wood SILHOUETTES RACE THROUGH FRAME, stop suddenly,

mechanically. LOUD GUNSHOTS O.S. Chunks of ply-wood blast away

violently.

BUMSTEAD is practising his marksmanship.

A HAND - on his shoulder. He whips around TO SEE - CRENSHAW -

she smiles stiffly at him.

BUMSTEAD:

You must stop sneaking up on me like

that!

CRENSHAW:

I'm sorry.

Bumstead walks across to a table and puts his gun down.

BUMSTEAD:

(looks at watch)

Damn.

(he unstraps watch -

hands it to Crenshaw)

Here. Fix this for me.

CRENSHAW:

Yes sir.

Bumstead paces from the room.

INT. BUMSTEAD'S OFFICE - SAME

Bumstead enters followed by Crenshaw. He GRABS a sheet of paper off

his desk.

BUMSTEAD:

You typed this report?

Crenshaw steps over and looks at it.

CRENSHAW:

Yes, sir.

BUMSTEAD:

Look at it.

Crenshaw bends down, adjusts her glasses, examines it.

CRENSHAW:

It seems fine.

BUMSTEAD:

Look here!

His finger points at the bottom of the page - a tiny,

INSIGNIFICANT ink smudge.

BUMSTEAD:

(Cont.)

How do you expect me to submit this?

MISS CRENSHAW:

I'm... sorry.

BUMSTEAD:

Be more careful, please...

CRENSHAW:

Certainly.

BUMSTEAD:

Now, what do you want?

CRENSHAW:

I have something to report...

She hands him some paperwork.

CRENSHAW:

(Cont.)

John and Emma Walker. There was

only one couple I could find in the

city. Here's where they live.

Bumstead takes the paperwork. Looks through it carefully, then up

at renshaw.

BUMSTEAD:

Maybe you'll work out after all,

Crenshaw.

ON CRENSHAW - she's obviously beaming with pride, but she hides it

well.

CRENSHAW:

Thankyou, sir.

She turns and leaves. Bumstead watches her go - a half smile

flickers across his face.

INT. MEI'S BUILDING - NIGHT

Walker follows Mei up a flight of dark stairs. She keeps looking

back at him, smiling but SAYS NOTHING.

INT. MEI'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Walker and the woman step into a shabby apartment. She points to a

couch. Walker looks uncomfortable. She smiles again, then turns on

the radio. MUSIC.

She steps into a BEDROOM, leaving Walker alone. He can hear the

sound of running water from a bathroom adjoining the room Mei

entered.

Walker starts to tune the radio. BABBLE of fragments of voices and

music, then:
A NEWS REPORT...

NEWS READER O.S.

...earlier this evening it was

reported two bodies were found by

police in a hotel...

Walker listens nervously.

WALKER:

(to himself)

Two...?

NEWS READER O.S.

...At this stage it is not clear if

the killer responsible is the man

police have been hunting for the

past three weeks... And now for a

message from LUMP-O food products...

Across the room he can see the bedroom door ajar. He crosses over

and looks in.

HIS P.O.V. - Mei stands naked facing a red wall. She has an

elaborate TATTOO on her back - looks like an INSECT. She puts on

a dressing gown and TURNS SUDDENLY.

ON WALKER - He steps back before she notices him.

He sits down on the couch, notices his SHADOW cast on the wall by a

nearby table-lamp. He puts his hands near the bulb.

ANGLE ON THE SHADOW - Walker makes animal shadows on the wall: a

dog, a bird...

BACK ON WALKER as he notices somwthing...

HIS P.O.V. - Across the room a WOODEN SCREEN is up against an open

doorway, he can see MOVEMENT through a crack in the screen - But

suddenly another bird shadow appears.

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