Dead Silence

(EXCLAIMING)

You fixed it yet?

Just a couple more minutes.

(LAUGHING)

You said that an hour ago.

I promised

to make you dinner, right?

Yeah.

Well, I'm making you

a gourmet dinner.

Trust me.

It'll be worth the wait.

Surrender.

Hmm?

Surrender to the wonders

of takeout.

Oh.

I knew this was coming.

'Cause when your fingers dial

those seven little numbers,

it really turns me on.

(LISA LAUGHING)

Is that the best

you can come up with?

Yeah.

(DOORBELL BUZZING)

Wow. You are fast.

Who was it?

I don't know.

It doesn't even say

where it's from.

Well, there's

one way to find out.

Oh, Jamie,

you adopted us a baby.

A baby?

Have you seen this thing?

Well, who would send you

a doll?

I have no idea.

JAMIE:

There's no card, no note.

His eyes look so real.

(IN HIGH-PITCHED VOICE) "I don't know

about you, but Lisa's hungry for Chinese."

I think

my wife's gone crazy.

Oh, my God! This reminds me of

that poem from when we were kids.

What poem?

You remember. Come on.

That old ghost story about the

woman who had all those dolls.

"Beware the stare

of Mary Shaw

"She had no children,

only dolls..."

And something,

something scary.

Something, something... Boo!

I think you're having just a

little too much fun there, Lise.

Oh, baby, I won't let

the scary dummy hurt you.

Thank you. Thank you.

(WHO'S HOLDING YOU NOW

PLAYING ON STEREO)

If you get Jamie to scream,

I'll make sure you get seven minutes

in heaven with my old Barbie. Deal?

(IN HIGH-PITCHED VOICE)

"Yes, Lisa."

God, I'm such a loser.

(GHOSTLY BREATHING)

Good boy.

(MUSIC ON STEREO DISTORTING)

Jamie?

Jamie?

(MUSIC ON STEREO DISTORTING)

(MUSIC ON STEREO STOPPING)

(CLOCK TICKING)

(TICKING STOPS)

(KETTLE WHISTLING)

(WHISTLING STOPS)

(AMBIENT NOISE DISAPPEARING)

(CHILD LAUGHING)

(EXCLAIMING)

(SCREAMING)

(GROANING)

(GASPING)

(SCREAMING)

(KETTLE WHISTLING)

(WHO'S HOLDING YOU NOW

PLAYING ON STEREO)

Baby, I'm back.

(EXCLAIMING)

Lisa! What are you trying

to do? Burn the place down?

Lise?

Oh, Lisa.

LISA:
I'm in here.

Dinner in bed again.

(HUMMING)

Lisa!

Yes, Jamie?

What's going on?

LISA:
I have a surprise for you, Jamie.

MARY SHAW:
...for you, Jamie.

(LISA LAUGHING)

Lisa, this is not funny!

(SIREN WAILING)

You know what it was?

Your mistake?

It was the rose.

Yep. Boy, I'll tell you,

if I had a dollar for every time

some guy gave his wife a rose

on the day that he,

you know...

Like that's an alibi.

Alibi?

I didn't hear you.

Did you say something?

Why would I need an alibi?

I'm sure your lawyer

would want you to have one.

My lawyer?

Yeah.

I mean, the prosecution, they're

going to have your fingerprints,

no signs of forced entry

on your apartment,

and you as the last person

to see your wife alive.

I mean, that's a lot

to go up against.

You think

I killed my wife?

Excuse me?

Do you think

I killed my wife?

No. No, I don't think you did.

I'm just trying

to help your lawyer out.

I mean, he's going to need

something more concrete.

I mean, at least to shift

the suspicion away from you.

Suspicion? I mean, if you

want to talk suspicion,

why don't you start by looking at the

package that turned up on my doorstep?

Oh, yeah.

That package, right.

(CLEARING THROAT)

Let's see. You received

an unmarked package

just moments

before Lisa was killed.

Yeah. A package containing

a ventriloquist dummy.

Ventriloquist dummy. Yeah.

Well, the mystery toy

department is down the hall.

This is

the homicide department.

So unless you can tell me

how some puppet

ties into your wife's murder,

I don't see the relevance.

In the town where I'm from,

a ventriloquist dummy

is a bad omen.

It's kind of a local legend,

and some people believe that the dummy

brings death to those around them.

Okay.

Well, Jamie,

I've never arrested a dummy

for murder before.

But I have arrested

quite a few husbands.

You don't think it's weird

that this package arrives

right before Lisa is killed?

No, I'll tell you

what I think is weird.

You said that your wife spoke to you

just moments before you found her, right?

- Yeah.

- Yeah. But she didn't have a tongue.

In fact, according to you,

she was already dead.

Now, see, to me, that's weird.

So, what're you going to do?

Arrest me?

Not yet.

Look, you can go, Ashen.

You're a free man for now.

Good.

It'll give me more time

to do your job for you.

Jamie!

I'm so sorry for your loss.

But I'm so glad

to have you home.

Oh!

My Lord, you must think I'm so rude.

We haven't even

been introduced.

I'm Ella.

I'm...

Well, I guess

I'm your stepmother.

Is he in?

Yes, he is.

Please come in.

Thanks.

There are some things that you

need to know about your father.

I know everything I need to.

EDWARD:
Ella!

Who's down there with you?

Your father won't

fight you, Jamie.

He doesn't fight anyone,

not anymore.

Well, then you're not

married to my father.

EDWARD:
Ella!

I can hear you.

Goddamn chair is stuck.

Here, Edward,

let me help you.

My son.

What a pleasant surprise.

What happened to you?

Your father had a stroke

two months ago.

Why didn't anybody tell me?

You never return my calls.

It's because I never know

what to say to you.

I take it I wasn't the easiest

person to get along with in the past,

- but I've changed.

- Really?

Yes. A stroke can do that

to a man.

Listen, I'm sorry

about your wife.

I hear you've

brought her home.

- Yeah.

- Don't worry.

I'll call Henry Walker,

make the arrangements.

No, that's okay,

I can take care of it.

Jamie, please. As your father,

it's the least I can do.

You've done the least

you can do my whole life.

It's too late

for charity now.

Is that why you've come here,

to remind me what a bad

father I've been to you?

In light of what has happened, I was

hoping we could put that in the past.

I didn't come

to talk about that, I...

I came to ask you something.

Do you remember when I was a

kid, Mom used to read me a poem?

Do you remember what it was?

What poem?

"Beware the stare

of Mary Shaw

"She had no children,

only dolls

"And if you see her

in your dreams..."

"Be sure you never,

ever scream"

You know it?

It's just a scary poem parents would

tell their kids to keep them in line.

No. It's more than just a ghost story.

And the adults believed in it, as well.

We live

in a small town, Jamie.

Small minds breed

small-minded superstitions.

That's all.

There's nothing else to tell.

Nothing?

Edward,

your son has been

through a lot.

Why don't we make up

a room for him?

No, that's okay.

I'm not staying long.

I got a funeral to prepare.

Jamie, Jamie!

Jamie! Please wait.

Won't you stay the night here?

It was nice meeting you, Ella.

Your father's changed. He's not

the same man that you remember.

Really?

You see that?

Mom used to be in that picture with

us, until he drove her to kill herself.

Had his second wife

in that one there.

But she was smart enough

to leave.

So, it's a good thing you're

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