From Darkness Page #6

LOLA:

I shouldn’t need to explain but we

have standards, protocols, none of

which include, fannying off to the

Western Isles to drag back ex-

colleagues.

JOHN:

(cutting in)

Colleague... just the one ex-

colleague. Police Constable Church,

seconded from uniform in 98 to 99

to work on developing contacts

within the sex worker community.

She’d compiled a list of

prostitutes rumoured missing.

FROM DARKNESS EPISODE ONE

LOLA:

Sixteen years ago? [BEAT] The

latest from forensics.

She hands the report over to JOHN. He reads, and looks at her

unable to hide his delight.

LOLA (CONT’D)

I’m not questioning her potential

usefulness just your sense of

priorities.

She looks at him, then goes to continue with her work, the

signal for him to leave but...

JOHN:

Oh, I bought you this, to brighten

up the office.

He places a crappy Scottish souvenir from a petrol station

down at her desk. She looks at him.

LOLA:

Tread carefully.

He looks at her, the slightest chink in his bravado, then

heads off. LOLA looks at the little HIGHLAND PIPER in her

hand then... heads out of the door.

LOLA (CONT’D)

Boyce.

She looks to BOYCE who’s hovering not far off about to head

to the gents, he looks ghastly.

BOYCE:

Ma’am.

LOLA:

You reek!

She goes back into her office, glancing down to JOHN who's

heading across the courtyard, followed by Boyce. A sense of

lonely authority.

32

INT. STATION, INTERVIEW ROOM/ INT. STATION, CORRIDOR 32

OUTSIDE INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY 3 (12:48)

We see CLAIRE sat in the interview room.

We pull back and see that we are watching her from JOHN’s POV

as he hovers for a moment (two mugs of tea in hand), almost

checking himself before he heads in...

JOHN hands CLAIRE her tea.

JOHN:

In case you’re hungry.

FROM DARKNESS EPISODE ONE

Then pulls a packet of SMALL ISLAND BISCUITS from his

pocket. He takes one, dunks.

JOHN (CONT’D)

For a baker he’s got quite a

swing on him.

JOHN smiles, takes another swig then puts his mug down.

JOHN (CONT’D)

Tell me about the women... The

women you met?

BEAT. CLAIRE says nothing.

JOHN:

Forensics have confirmed the

timeline fits. There were the

remains of a tenner and a bus pass

hidden in one of their shoes.

Claire still says nothing.

JOHN (CONT’D)

I could arrest you for

withholding information from the

police.

She looks at him unimpressed - no he couldn’t!

JOHN:

For obstructing the course of

justice.

CLAIRE:

I gave you all the information I

had sixteen years ago and you

rejected it.

JOHN produces a faded green file from his bag - CLAIRE’s

original investigation.

JOHN:

What you gave me was incomplete...

She stares at him. He looks at her then opens the folder...

JOHN (CONT’D)

Obviously I can’t reveal the full

details of the current case but

as you wrote this...

He reads...

JOHN (CONT’D)

Caz Jenkins, Mimi Fenton, Sally

Fisher...

FROM DARKNESS EPISODE ONE

All these names are hard for CLAIRE to listen to but the

final one - SALLY FISHER particularly so. Her eyes dart up

nervously at the mention of it, despite her efforts to stay

controlled. For some reason, Sally Fisher really stings.

JOHN clocks this. He watches CLAIRE’s reaction to

everything closely.

JOHN (CONT’D)

Three girls who all went missing

according to their “colleagues”

between February 1998 and end of

March 99.

BEAT. JOHN continues to watch CLAIRE, her reactions. Her

hand trembles a little he clocks it.

JOHN (CONT’D)

We now have two bodies found in

the red-light district. Their

deaths dated back to exactly the

same period.

BEAT.

JOHN (CONT’D)

They had been tied, almost

certainly... tortured.

BEAT. CLAIRE will not look at him, will not give anything -

although we can see his words are upsetting her somewhere

deep within. She crumples forward, closing her eyes, almost

putting her hands over her ears.

JOHN (CONT’D)

Their corpses treated with hydrogen

peroxide, an attempt to dissolve

the evidence... or clean it. We

can’t even get a positive ID.

That makes CLAIRE look up.

CLAIRE:

Then you have no way of

connecting them to the girls I

listed.

BEAT. She sits back, as if withdrawing from the

conversation.

JOHN:

What is this? I mean... what is

it you want Claire? An apology?

You were right. We were wrong.

The Greater Manchester Police

hereby apologises for not

listening. Fine! We’re sorry.

You’ve got it. The case you were

investigating was relevant, real.

FROM DARKNESS EPISODE ONE

CLAIRE:

Na.ve. That’s what you called it.

JOHN:

The way it’s written it still is.

So are you if you think that at the

time anyone would have taken me

seriously had I pushed this...

There was already talk about my

pushing to keep you in CID. You

were 24, inexperienced, my

Constable...

BEAT. CLAIRE stares at him trembling with upset and rage.

JOHN (CONT’D)

I thought you wanted to get these

girls justice.

CLAIRE:

You know I did! But I wasn’t good

enough was I. I failed them.

We...

She looks at him, a catch of the eye that enrages her.

CLAIRE:

It’s the past. It has nothing to

do with me now. I’ve a new

life... I don’t have to do this.

I can’t! [BEAT] It’s over,

done... finished.

They are interrupted by a tap at the door. BOYCE comes in.

BOYCE:

Sir.

JOHN:

Sh*t!

CLAIRE:

Anyway, it’s too late now, isn’t

it.

JOHN presses stop on the recorder as BOYCE hands JOHN a

message. JOHN looks up at CLAIRE. Then shuts the file,

getting up, ostensibly giving up.

JOHN:

Collect your things.

She looks up at him somewhat surprised. He stands, holding

the door open for her.

JOHN (CONT’D)

We’re done here.

FROM DARKNESS EPISODE ONE

She gets up walking past him. He watches her every move.

JOHN (CONT’D)

I’ll drive you to the station. If

you’ll let me.

33 I./E. JOHN’S CAR (TRAVELLING), STREETS - DAY 3 (13:03) 33

JOHN drives. He glances at across at CLAIRE but she’s looking

steadfastly ahead of her. He pulls out a packet of

cigarettes.

CLAIRE:

They’ll kill you.

Still he offers her one. She half laughs - shakes her head.

As he goes on speaking, he lowers the window, gets out his

lighter...

JOHN:

Not nearly as fast as swimming in

the North Atlantic will. [BEAT]

What are you training for anyway?

CLAIRE:

Iron Woman.

JOHN:

You’re serious?!

CLAIRE:

26 Mile run, 112 mile cycle, 2.4

Mile swim.

JOHN:

Yes you are. Very.

JOHN looks down at the fag he was just about to light and

puts it away. She can’t help but smile and he catches her

doing it. He smiles back. She looks away.

CLAIRE:

You’re not that fat.

JOHN:

Sorry.

CLAIRE:

You heard me.

He looks at her... sighs.

BEAT. ON JOHN... not sure how to do this or where to begin.

JOHN (CONT’D)

I’m sorry. I know it wasn’t the

only reason you left the police.

FROM DARKNESS EPISODE ONE 29

BEAT. CLAIRE’s eyes dart up to him. Then away. CLAIRE

stares out of the window but we see her biting back tears.

JOHN meanwhile can barely take his eyes off her. Suddenly

he takes a left.

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