Green River KIiller Page #3

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Puts down the phone. Shakes his head in disbelief.

TOM (CONT'D)

You would not believe the amount of

women out there who think they’re

married to a serial killer.

DOYON:

Charlaine been calling in again?

TOM:

To what do I owe the pleasure, Jim?

DOYON:

We just found something out by the

Racetrack. I think you should come

take a look.

EXT. WOODED AREA, NEAR SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY (1993) -

DAY:

Two men in the rain. The naked body of a dead WOMAN before

them, a ligature wrapped around her neck.

DOYON:

Bring back happy memories?

TOM, staring at the bleak sight in front of him, wipes the

rain off his face and feels an all too familiar dread.

INT. KING COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, SEATTLE (1993) - DAY

TOM sits opposite SHERIFF JAMES MONTGOMERY.

13.

SHERIFF MONTGOMERY

I’ve got to tell you, Tom, I think

you’re reaching here. We all know

he stopped in ‘84.

TOM:

Sir, I think there’s a strong case

that a number of the bodies we’ve

found in the last three years could

turn out to be more Green River...

SHERIFF MONTGOMERY

Tom, let me stop you there...

TOM:

All strangled, all found near dump

sites he’s used before...

SHERIFF MONTGOMERY

Let me ask you something. Do you

realize what would happen if I was

to say the Green River Killer was

still active? Do you understand

what a political nightmare that

would be?

TOM:

With respect, sir...

SHERIFF MONTGOMERY

And the press go crazy if they

smell anything to do with Green

River. You know that.

TOM:

But I still think...

SHERIFF MONTGOMERY

I’m not going down that road again,

Tom. He stopped in ‘84.

TOM:

But what if...

SHERIFF MONTGOMERY

(the final word)

He stopped in ‘84!

INT. JENSEN HOUSE, KITCHEN (1993) - NIGHT

TOM can’t sleep. He sits feeding scraps to JOEY, their

labrador puppy. CHARLAINE enters, in her robe.

14.

CHARLAINE:

Can’t sleep?

TOM:

Did I wake you?

CHARLAINE:

I could hear you worrying.

TOM attempts a smile.

CHARLAINE (CONT’D)

I know it’s not what you do, but

you can talk to me about...

whatever.

TOM nods. CHARLAINE looks at her poker-faced husband, trying

to read him.

CHARLAINE (CONT’D)

(looking at JOEY)

Well, if you won’t talk to me about

it, maybe talk to him. Just talk to

someone, okay?

Eventually, she goes to leave.

TOM:

(with difficulty)

Why would anyone want to hurt

people so much?

CHARLAINE stops, turns to listen.

TOM (CONT'D)

Why would one human being want to

cause so much misery, so much pain,

to other human beings?

She joins him at the table.

CHARLAINE:

I don’t know... but I don’t see him

hurting a whole lot of men.

TOM:

Everyone wants to think he’s

stopped, but... we keep finding

bodies. Maybe the Sheriff’s right.

It’s easy to find links. The more

bodies there are, the easier it

becomes. Doesn’t prove anything.

(MORE)

15.

TOM (CONT'D)

Let’s say he really hasn’t killed

anyone in years, why start up

again? Why now?

CHARLAINE:

Well... maybe because he doesn’t

have the entire police force in the

woods anymore, searching for him.

TOM thinks about this.

EXT. WOODS NEAR KEN’S TRUCK TOWN, NORTH BEND (1993) - DUSK

TOM walking through the woods. Stops. It’s very quiet. Only

sound the wind, only movement the tree branches and leaves.

Looks around. Finds a spot, settles in for a long wait.

As the late afternoon light fades, TOM hears the occasional

noise, odd flashes of movement. A hidden world coming to

life. Not a human world. A sense of being watched. Unnerving.

The wind picks up. As it blows through the trees it becomes

magnified, violent, angry. TOM suddenly feels very out of

place. Very vulnerable.

Hurriedly getting into his car. It’s dark now. Turns the

radio on. Sits there breathing hard, the radio commercials

make him feel better. Thinks back to his meeting with the

SHERIFF the day before.

INT. KING COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, SEATTLE (1993) - DAY

TOM is listening as the SHERIFF wraps up the meeting.

SHERIFF MONTGOMERY

I’m sure this is hard for you to

hear, Tom, but the truth is, it

looks like he got away with it.

We’re never going to find him now.

DOYON (O.S.)

Tom!

EXT. THE BUNKER, BOEING FIELD (2003) - DAY

Older TOM (50s), stands in the parking lot outside a large,

squat CONCRETE BUILDING, smoking a cigarette, planes flying

overhead. He checks his watch.

DOYON (O.S.)

Tom!

16.

Older JIM DOYON calls from the building. The roar of a plane

overhead means TOM doesn’t hear.

DOYON (CONT’D)

Tom!

The plane passes over, and TOM hears JIM. He turns.

DOYON (CONT’D)

He’s here!

TITLE over black screen.

“TEN YEARS LATER. JUNE 13 2003, ‘THE BUNKER’ -DAY ONE”

INT. THE BUNKER, MAIN ROOM (2003) - DAY

Headquarters for the Ridgway interviews, at the airport south

of Seattle. Work cubicles, filing cabinets, etc. Photos,

maps on the walls and desks. Windows blacked out.

TOM and DOYON, along with DETECTIVES, PROSECUTORS and STAFF,

watch as a group enter through the main door. Four heavily

armed SWAT TEAM MEMBERS, two plain clothed INTELLIGENCE UNIT

DETECTIVES, and three members of the Ridgway DEFENCE TEAM.

Somewhere, in amongst them all, the small figure of GARY

RIDGWAY(early 50s), in leg irons, handcuffs and waist irons.

A beige jacket over his prison issue outfit, big GLASSES,

moustache, and a baseball cap on his head.

There to greet him, DET. RANDY MULLINAX and JIM GRADDON, the

new Task Force Captain. Everyone else keeps back at a

discrete distance.

MULLINAX:

Hello Gary. It’s good to see you

again. Welcome to ‘The Bunker’.

GARY:

Thank you, Detective Mullinax.

It’s, uh, good to be here.

MULLINAX:

This is Captain Jim Graddon, he’s

the boss around here.

GRADDON:

(with a nod)

Gary.

GARY:

Sir.

17.

MULLINAX:

And this is the rest of the crew.

He gestures to the gathering. A strange air of awkward

politeness and forced pleasantry suffuses the room.

GARY:

(with a smile)

Nice to see you all.

A few awkward “Hi”s and perhaps the odd wave hello.

MULLINAX:

Well... why don’t I show you where

you’ll be staying. It’s this way.

MULLINAX leads GARY off, escorted by his black uniformed

guards. TOM observes GARY walk through a room covered in

PHOTOs of the Green River victims.

GRADDON:

(calls him over)

Tom, come on over here.

TOM joins them.

GRADDON (CONT’D)

Tom, this is Gary’s defence team.

Part of it anyways. Tony Savage,

Mark Prothero and Todd Gruenhagen.

This is Detective Tom Jensen.

PROTHERO:

You new to this case, Detective?

TOM:

Not really.

PROTHERO:

Oh, I’ve handled criminal cases in

King County for about twenty years

now. Thought I knew just about

every detective around.

GRADDON:

Well, y’see, this is the only case

Tom’s worked the last twenty

years...

PROTHERO:

(taken aback)

The only one...?

18.

GRADDON:

C’mon, I’ll give you guys the

nickel tour. If this whole deal

falls apart, and we have to go back

to trial, we don’t want you using

any of this stuff here, so no

peaking.

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