Gone Girl Page #7

empty. On the shelves: the usual Modern Male Canon suspects:

Franzen, Lethem, Chabon, Eggers. BONEY’s eyes hit the wall.

BONEY (CONT’D)

These yours?

BONEY holds a red lacy thong on the end of a pencil.

BONEY (CONT’D)

They were on your thermostat.

NICK looks STUNNED. There’s a long, painful silence.

NICK:

You read the clue.

BONEY:

Randy professor and naughty

student! My ex and I just swapped

cards.

BONEY slips the undies into an evidence bag. Nick stares,

almost mesmerized. Boney nods toward the CLUE.

BONEY (CONT’D)

Where next? Where’s the little

brown house?

GG - Yellow Revisions 9/27/13 39.

NICK:

No idea.

This is an obvious stonewall. Boney plucks the CLUE from him.

BONEY:

I’ll make you a copy.

60 INT. SOMEWHERE - SOMETIME 60

An ELEGANT SILVER PEN cursives over a diary. Date: October

11, 2009. We see the words as we hear:

AMY (V.0.)

I’ve sworn never to be one of those *

wives. I think I’ve done a pretty *

good job. *

A61 INT. BROOKLYN BROWNSTONE BEDROOM- PRE-DAWN A61

AMY in bed, is awakened by rattling of the front door. *

B61 INT. BROOKLYN BROWNSTONE LIVING ROOM- PRE-DAWN B61 *

Amy crosses to the door, opens it to see Nick, drunk, *

disheveled, trying to get his key in. A pause as she stares *

down at him. *

*

Hello, handsome. *

NICK *

I’m a little drunk. *

AMY *

I see that. *

NICK *

David and Alex and I ended up- *

AMY *

(sweetly) *

I don’t care. *

She kisses him. Swipes a finger along his jawline. *

AMY (CONT’D) *

Body glitter. How fancy of you. *

He starts to explain. She kisses him again. *

GG - Yellow Revisions 9/27/13 39A.

AMY (CONT’D) *

Baby, I really don’t care. *

61 INT. BROOKLYN BROWNSTONE BEDROOM- PRE-DAWN 61 *

AMY and NICK, post-sex, in a big Victorian bedroom—BEAUTIFUL. *

AMY:

Let’s swear we will never be like

them.

NICK:

Who?

Amy makes a sweeping gesture: everyone outside their window.

AMY:

Every other couple we know. Wives

who treat their men like hapless *

puppies:
to be trained and broken.

Nick knows this game—defining themselves by who they aren’t.

NICK:

Husbands who treat their wives like

eccentric dictators: to be appeased *

and contained. *

ANY:

Couples whose conversations revolve

around to-do lists.

NICK *

Couples— *

(pause in game) *

I think I may be laid off.

GG - Blue Draft - 8/29/13 40.

AMY:

(shrugging it off)

We’re in a recession. If it *

happens, we’ll deal with it. We

have each other—everything else is

background noise.

A huge weight comes off Nick.

NICK:

You are...

(don’t say “amazing”...)

exceptional.

AMY:

You are exceptional. *

He brushes his fingers over her lips and kisses her, same as

their FIRST KISS. A RITUAL.

AMY (CONT’D)

My turn. My parents’ publisher

dropped them. They’re in debt up to

their ears.

NICK:

Oh no, that’s awful.

AMY:

They heed to borrow from my trust

fund.

NICK:

(skeptical)

How much?

AMY:

Almost a million.

NICK:

That’s almost all.

AMY:

This is where you say, “Everything

else is background noise.”

NICK:

Amy, if I’m laid off and you’re

laid off

AMY:

I told them I’d do it.

GG - Blue Draft — 8/29/13 41.

NICK:

Without even talking to me?

AMY:

Well it is—

NICK:

Your say. *

AMY:

Their money. Technically.

A hard moment. Nick finally blinks.

NICK:

You’re right. Everything else is *

background noise.

She studies him. He puts a finger to his chin: Their old

CODE. NO Bulishit.

62 INT. NICK’S CAR - KINKO’S PARKING LOT- NIGHT 62 *

Nick hops in the car, slaps a stack of AMY MISSING 8xlOs on *

the passenger seat. Begins driving. As soon as he’s out of *

the lot, he pulls out his DISPOSABLE. MISSED CALL MISSED CALL *

MISSED CALL. He dials. Voicemail. *

63 OMIT - INT. ELLIOT HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT 63 *

64 INT. NICK’S CAR - NORTH CARTHAGE STREETS - NIGHT 64 *

NICK:

Call me. *

Nick drives into a run-down neighborhood. He pulls out CLUE *

TWO—a Xeroxed COPY—from his pocket. *

AMY (VO)

Hey, handsome man/let’s go

undercover. You be the hero and

I’ll be his lover. Let’s head on

over to the little brown house.

65 EXT. BILL DUNNE’S HOUSE - NIGHT 65

He pulls up to a BLUE HOUSE. A FOR SALE sign in the yard.

GG - Blue Draft - 8/29/13 42.

AMY (V.0.)

We’ll play hot, doting husband and

sweet loving spouse.

66 INT. BILL DUNNE’S KITCHEN - NIGHT 66

NICK enters; immediately an ALARM starts. Beep. Beep. Beep.

He pounds a few buttons. REEK REEK REEK. He dials the alarm *

company on his cell.

NICK:

Hi, my alarm is going off. Nicholas *

Dunne. . .it may be under my dad’s *

name, William— *

REEK REEK REEK.

NICK (CONT’D)

.my wife’s first pet’s name? This *

is so unnecessary. Please don’t—

REEK REEK REEK.

NICK (CONT’D)

I’m telling you—Wait! Is it

Puddles? *

Flashing cop lights in the window. NICK hangs up. He spots

the next AMY-ENVELOPE, marked CLUE 3, sitting on the kitchen

counter. Stuffs it in his back pocket just as BONEY enters.

BONEY:

Hello, stranger. Fancy meeting you *

here. *

(into her walkie)

We’re good.

The ALARM screeches another three seconds. BONEY sips her

giant coffee. The alarm turns off.

BONEY (CONT’D)

Your dad’s house, right?

NICK:

Are you following me?

BONEY:

Why are you here?

NICK:

I come by once a week, make sure

the place hasn’t burnt down.

GG - Blue Draft - 8/29/13 43.

She starts to nose around. *

NICK (CONT’D) *

Everything seems fine. I’ll walk *

you out. *

67 EXT. BILL DUNNE HOUSE - NIGHT 67

Boney shines a flashlight on the house. It’s blue.

BONEY:

Thought maybe this was the little

brown house. From the clue.

NICK *

Still blue. *

Nick starts his engine without further ado.

68 INT. NICK’S CAP. - NIGHT 68

NICK pulls up to GO’s. He reads the note. *

INSERT ON NOTE:
We see the words as we hear: *

AMY (V.0.) *

Picture me:
Im a girl who is very *

bad/I need to be punished and by *

punished I mean had. *

Nothing. He tries to calm himself. Can’t. He slams his fists *

on the dashboard. Once, twice, three times. *

AMY (V.0.) *

It’s where you keep goodies for *

anniversary five *

So open the door—and look alive. *

69 INT. SOMEWHERE - SOMETIME 69

A pen—Bic, gnarled at the top—cursiving over a DIARY. The

date:
July 18, 2010. We see the words as we hear:

AMY (V.0.)

Want to test your marriage for weak

spots? Add one recession. Subtract

two jobs.

GG - Blue Draft - 8/29/13 44.

70 INT. BROOKLYN BROWNSTONE - DAY 70

She opens drapes, picks up beer cans and old takeout.

AMY (V.0.)

It’s surprisingly effective.

71 INT. DEN - DAY 71

AMY opens the door to reveal NICK in his boxers, beer cans

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