From Darkness Page #2

In the B.G. we see JULIE, through the lounge door, still

playing the professional hostess, (holding a silky nighty

against herself, just one item piece from a selection of

luxurious night/ lounge wear, candles on offer as part of the

charity auction) but clocking John leaving without saying a

thing.

FROM DARKNESS EPISODE ONE

9 EXT. JOHN’S HOUSE - DAY 1 (18:14) 9

JOHN heads out to see DS ANTHONY BOYCE waiting on the

drive. JOHN walks past him towards the car, parked at the

bottom of the drive.

BOYCE:

Good do?

JOHN:

Worthy.

ON BOYCE as he sheepishly clocks another couple of

glamorously dressed women heading in to the house, then joins

JOHN as he gets into the car relieved to be escaping to work

rather than working the room with his wife.

10 EXT. RED-LIGHT DISTRICT, BUILDING SITE - DAY 1 (18:45) 10

JOHN emerges from a crime scene tent. He signs out of the

scene log, removes his shoe protectors and hands them in to

an attending Constable. As he does, he looks over to see

another car pulling up, out of which gets SUPERINTENDENT LOLA

KEIR (43, BLACK). We see the slightest sigh from JOHN as she

walks towards him, wrapping her coat around herself.

LOLA:

Two girls...

JOHN:

...the remains of. Identification

won’t be easy. The builders who

found them didn't know whether to

call the cops or the museum.

LOLA:

How long?

JOHN:

The initial estimate’s 15 years.

LOLA looks around her at the half built luxury condos and

wasteland.

FROM DARKNESS EPISODE ONE

LOLA:

It’s going to be a sensitive case.

We need to be smart.

JOHN:

You’ve given me Boyce.

He half nods to young DS BOYCE stood freezing his nuts off by

the car.

JOHN (CONT’D)

Oxbridge educated, so sensitive he

faints at the sight of blood. Just

a shame that at the time of these

murders he was still breast fed.

LOLA looks at JOHN unimpressed.

JOHN:

There’ll be a full report on your

desk in the morning.

BEAT. And with that he goes to return to his car. LOLA

watches him for a second then... Then as she heads towards

the crime scene tent...

LOLA:

You know I do get it.

BEAT. JOHN looks at her.

LOLA (CONT'D)

A less experienced woman given the

job you've had your heart set on

for years, and then a black woman!

Not that you're racist or sexist.

No! You just feel discriminated

against - positively.

LOLA stops by the crime scene tent and looks at him.

LOLA (CONT’D)

Right now, all that experience

just says one thing: you were

here fifteen years ago... You

screwed up big!

And with that she heads in. ON JOHN: it’s the first time

we’ve seen any vulnerability in him. There’s truth in what

she’s said, truth that hurts. He glances around the wasteland

for a second then marches over to BOYCE and the car, texting

as he walks [A MESSAGE TO THE STATION TO TRACE AN ADDRESS/

CONTACT DETAILS - OF AN EX-CONSTABLE, CLAIRE CHURCH], all

pent up male aggression and frustration.

FROM DARKNESS EPISODE ONE

JOHN:

Find out what was here before, who

had access to it, the details of

everyone who lived and worked

within sight radius of the crime

scene 1995-2005.

BOYCE:

Got it.

JOHN:

Got it Boss.

BEAT. BOYCE looks towards LOLA’s departing car.

BOYCE:

Seems a bit...

JOHN:

She is... Two weeks into the job, a

double murder case to deal with, no

clue.

JOHN sends his text... looks up at BOYCE then out to the

wasteland, almost sighs.

JOHN:

The truth is colour, sex, it's

irrelevant to me. I always expected

to be working for a woman... Just

not that one.

BEAT. JOHN’s phone buzzes, he looks down at it. And starts to

head towards the car.

JOHN:

Drop me home later and get an

overnight bag.

BOYCE:

Where are we going?

JOHN:

The Western Isles.

BOYCE:

But isn’t that... Scotland?

But as BOYCE speaks, JOHN’S already walked away, headed back

towards the crime scene tent.

BOYCE:

I wasn't breast-fed.

JOHN turns and looks at him.

BOYCE:

Bottle. Last of three.

FROM DARKNESS EPISODE ONE 7

JOHN heads back in to the crime scene - leaving BOYCE alone

in that desolate place feeling stupid.

JOHN looks away, almost sighing, in disbelief. He heads back

towards the tent, BOYCE heads off.

11 SCENE CUT. CONTENT HAS BEEN MOVED TO SC10 11

12 SCENE CUT. 12

13 INT. JOHN’S HOUSE, GARAGE - NIGHT 1 (22:36) 13

The light comes on in the garage as JOHN enters via an

internal door and goes to a series of shelves and boxes at

the back. He pulls down an old box file and after some

rummaging pulls out an old green folder.

He brings it down and rests it on an work bench: leafing

through the yellowing pages.

Turning eventually to an old photocopied ID shot of a police

constable from 1998: Constable CLAIRE CHURCH.

14 EXT. COAST. WESTERN ISLES - DAY 2 (17:50) 14

CLAIRE CHURCH pulls her goggles down over her eyes and,

clad in her wet-suit, plunges into a very uninviting sea

and swims.

She swims hard:
her face plunging in and out of the

freezing cold water, her breathing strong and determined.

The harder she trains the easier it is not to think.

Between breaths she and we hear a vague shouting. She looks

up to see a girl (MEGAN DUNCAN, 15) shouting from the

jetty.

MEGAN:

Mum! Mum! There’s someone here.

MEGAN beckons her then turns back up the track towards the

COTTAGE on the hillside behind. CLAIRE sticks her goggles

on her head, exhausted and paddles back in.

15 EXT. COTTAGE. WESTERN ISLES - DAY 2 (17:58) 15

JOHN’S WORK CAR sits parked outside the cottage. It is

incongruously executive. CLAIRE brushes a hand across it,

intrigued and a little concerned. She heads in.

FROM DARKNESS EPISODE ONE

16 INT. COTTAGE, LOUNGE & KITCHEN - DAY 2 (17:59) 16

NORRIE in scruffy farming gear hands his two SUITED

VISITORS:
JOHN & BOYCE mugs of tea.

NORRIE:

She’s out training. She won’t be

long. Sugar?

BOYCE:

You don’t have any sweetener...?

NORRIE shakes his head. JOHN looks at BOYCE - like he’s a

pillock.

BOYCE (CONT’D)

Getting married... Trying to stay

trim for the big day.

CLAIRE walks in.

CLAIRE:

Is everything okay? Whose car is-

She stops, looks at JOHN. The mere sight of him is like a

punch in the stomach.

NORRIE:

Detective Sergeant Boyce.

Detective Chief Inspector...

JOHN:

(overlapping)

John. Like I said, we’re old

friends. God Claire... How long’s

it been?

CLAIRE just stands looking at him for a moment, trying to

regain her composure but struggling.

CLAIRE:

What are you doing here?

NORRIE:

“Just passing”...

JOHN:

So... I thought we’d drop in.

NORRIE looks to CLAIRE. She gives him a search me look.

NORRIE:

I’ll make up the spare bed.

CLAIRE:

They’re staying?

FROM DARKNESS EPISODE ONE

JOHN:

We don’t want to cause any bother.

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