Happy Valley Page #6

Season #1 Episode #2

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Shakes her head, can’t comprehend the awfulness.

KEVIN:

It’s...

He can’t comprehend the awfulness either. In a very different

way. JENNY’s shaking her head.

JENNY:

Nevison must know someone. In the

police. Surely, he’s - he must

KEVIN:

Jenny. Jenny. It’s not an option.

Not until he’s got her back, and

then

JENNY:

Well how long is it going to take?

To withdraw that kind of money?

KEVIN:

They won’t hurt her.

JENNY:

You don’t know what they might do

to her!

KEVIN:

They might threaten, but if he - if

we all - play ball... they want the

money, they won’t hurt her.

JENNY’s still struggling to take the whole thing on board.

Then she remembers something else

JENNY:

(something and nothing,

compared to all this)

Oh, Ashley rang. From the farm.

KEVIN:

(alarm, tries not to show

it)

Ashley?

JENNY:

Something about the rental on the

site, he said could you ring him.

When you got in. God, what kind of

people are out there who’d do that?

KEVIN:

I’ll - I’ll - I’ll get changed.

Don’t mention it in front of the

girls.

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE TWO. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 28.

JENNY:

No. God no.

He lingers a moment, bewildered by his thoughts, then turns

and heads up the stairs to the bedroom.

CUT TO:

25 INT. KEVIN’S HOUSE, KEVIN’S BEDROOM. EVENING 5. 17.31 25

KEVIN comes into his bedroom, closes the door, scrolls for

ASHLEY’s number on his mobile. He’s panicking, he’s shaking.

He presses call. It rings.

ASHLEY:

(oov)

Hello.

KEVIN’s angry with ASHLEY.

KEVIN:

You changed your mind about me

ringing you then.

Cutting as and when with:

CUT TO:

26 EXT. UPPER LIGHTHAZELS FARM. EVENING 5. 17.32 26

ASHLEY’s wandering around the trailer park.

ASHLEY:

How’s Nev?

KEVIN:

How would you expect him to be?

ASHLEY:

Ey calm down pal, it’s your party.

Is he getting this cash together

then or what?

KEVIN:

And what’s this sh*t about a

million? I specifically said don’t

ask for any more than five hundred

thousand.

ASHLEY:

It were you. Insisting you had to

have a hundred grand. I told you,

I’ve got overheads, I’ve got

expenses.

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE TWO. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 29.

KEVIN:

Say you’ll accept less. Next time

you ring him.

ASHLEY:

Sure.

KEVIN:

I mean it.

ASHLEY:

Okay.

KEVIN:

I’m serious.

ASHLEY:

You’re the boss.

Not. And they both know it. So there’s no point KEVIN’s

persisting.

KEVIN:

So what did you want?

ASHLEY:

I wanted to know he was getting on

with it and that he hadn’t been

anywhere near any police.

KEVIN:

No, he won’t, he wants her back all

in one piece.

ASHLEY:

Good. Well he needs to buckle down

and get on with it then.

KEVIN:

You’re not going to hurt her.

ASHLEY:

I’m not, no. But I can’t vouch for

my lads. Couped up with her all

day. Eh? Getting little ideas into

their little heads.

KEVIN:

What’re you talking about?

ASHLEY:

Tommy’s just got out of prison.

Poor lad hasn’t had his leg over in

eight years. Use your imagination.

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE TWO. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 30.

KEVIN:

You tell them not to touch her!

You’ll get the money, but tell him

you’ll take less!

ASHLEY:

Right.

KEVIN can practically hear ASHLEY smirking at the other end.

KEVIN:

I mean it.

ASHLEY:

Yeah, you said.

Silence. Then ASHLEY hangs up. KEVIN looks at the phone. He

realises yet again that he has no power here. They’ll

probably shaft him at the end and not give him anything

anyway, and he probably doesn’t even WANT any of the rotten

money now. He sits on the bed and stares at nothing. Why/how

the hell did he get into this? He could cry.

Then we go back to ASHLEY at the farm. He sees TOMMY, who’s

finished work for the day on the building site.

ASHLEY (CONT’D)

Tommy. Son.

(he gets a phone from his

pocket)

I want you to do something for me.

CUT TO:

27 INT. KEVIN’S HOUSE, KITCHEN. EVENING 5. 17.40 27

KEVIN comes back into the kitchen. Not changed. And looking

terrible. JENNY sees him. He says in a tiny, helpless voice

KEVIN:

I did this stupid thing.

JENNY can see how troubled he is.

JENNY:

What?

(silence)

What d’you mean?

CUT TO:

28 INT. NEVISON’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM. EVENING 5. 17.41 28

HELEN’s suffering. Overwhelmed with thoughts about her own

condition, and now the terror of wondering what ANN’s going

through. NEVISON’s on the phone.

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE TWO. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 31.

NEVISON:

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Thanks for

calling back, Neil. I’ll pass that

on.

HELEN:

(whisper)

Say it’s us!

NEVISON:

(mouthing)

No.

(then to NEIL)

Tata. Tata!

(he hangs up)

He says you can play it any way you

like. If you want to involve the

police he knows who you’d talk to,

if you wanted to pay the money, get

her back, then get them involved,

that’s

HELEN:

You’re making a mistake.

NEVISON:

I know what I’m doing.

(HELEN has to accept this,

but hates it)

Curious thing. He said “they

usually have someone close.

Somebody nobody’d never think of”.

(noticing HELEN’s miles

away)

Are you all right?

(no, she isn’t)

We should eat.

HELEN:

I can’t eat.

NEVISON:

We have to look after ourselves.

(he squeezes her hands:

meaning we have to look

after you)

Helen. Eh? For her sake.

HELEN:

Have you taken on anyone new,

lately?

NEVISON:

No. No. But they don’t have to be

new.

(MORE)

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE TWO. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 31A.

NEVISON (CONT'D)

He said it could be somebody that’s

been working at a place for years.

CUT TO:

29 INT. KEVIN’S HOUSE, KITCHEN. EVENING 5. 17.45 29

Incredulous JENNY has heard KEVIN’s story. Stunned, wide-eyed

silence.

JENNY:

You’ve got to go to the police.

KEVIN:

I know.

(silence)

Except (

MORE)

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE TWO. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 32.

KEVIN (CONT'D)

(he dries up, and then the

simple truth - )

I can’t.

JENNY:

Do you know where they’re keeping

her?

KEVIN:

No! No no no. I - I know nothing. I

-they - I don’t think they’re even

going to give me any money at the

end of it. I think I’ve been...

just shafted, and used, and taken

for a ride and - I don’t even know

why I did it! Just - I was so

angry. With Nevison. Then he turns

around and tells me that Helen’s

got cancer and he offers me more

money! Jesus.

JENNY:

Do you think they’ll hurt her?

KEVIN:

No.

(he doesn’t know after

what ASHLEY said earlier,

but he’ll barely admit it

to himself, never mind

others)

No. No.

JENNY:

I can’t believe Ashley

KEVIN:

He’s a psychopath.

JENNY:

He’s always been so nice.

KEVIN:

Has he.

JENNY:

If he is a psychopath... he’ll hurt

her.

KEVIN:

No. He wants the money. He’s not

doing it to hurt her.

JENNY:

So... we know she’s safe. Ish. Even

if she doesn’t, even if her parents

don’t, we know Ashley wouldn’t...

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE TWO. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 33.

KEVIN:

Yeah.

JENNY:

-do anything...

KEVIN:

Yeah. Yeah, we know that.

JENNY:

So...

(the idea formulating as

she talks...)

So you could... is there anything -

this was all verbal? Between you

and Ashley. No emails, no

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