Insomnia Page #22

INT. STAIRWAY - DIAMOND TOOTH ROAD - UMKUMIUT - LATE NIGHT

A dark stairway. Late at night. Will, bathed in shadows.

Climbs to the top. Quietly, carefully. He heads down a

hallway. We recognise it. Back where Walter Byrd lives.

Will approaches apartment "B." Slowly pulls out his weapon.

C*cks it. Waits a beat then swings out in front of the door.

Ready to fight. Ready to confront. Looks down...

Tile corner's still there.

INT./EXT. CHEROKEE - UMKUMIUT - NEXT DAY

CLOSE ON Walter Byrd's APPOINTMENT BOOK laying open.

Scrawled in pencil: 8:30. Dr. Agee.

PULL BACK to reveal Will sitting in the parked Cherokee. The

appointment book on the passenger seat. Been there all night.

Insomnia. Taking its toll. His hair, no longer neatly

combed. His face, pale and unshaven. His eyes, dragged open

from fatigue. Looks like the whole world's pulling him down.

Staring down the street at a

BRICK BUILDING on the corner. A placard by the front door:

Dr. Florence Agee, D.D.S.

Will checks his watch. Rubs his eyes with the heels of his

hands. Suddenly. Something tells him to look up.

A MAN:

in the distance, walking along the road. Towards Dr. Agee's.

He's in his forties. Short, shoulders sloped. Wears a

beige, zip-up windbreaker, khakis, brown desert boots.

WALTER BYRD:

has a bulky hearing aid in one ear. Is looking down at the

road. Glances up.

LOCKS EYES WITH WILL

Byrd, slows his pace.

Will, reaches for the door handle.

SUDDENLY:

Byrd turns in the other direction, starts walking fast.

Will leaps out of the Cherokee and heads after him.

WALTER BYRD:

his short legs pumping, spots a TOUR BUS across the road.

Veers over to it.

WILL:

a runner's stride. Weaves through PEOPLE. Closing in on

Byrd. Sees his plan. Cuts across the road just as...

A PICK-UP

rounds the corner. THUMP! Broadsides him. Will's pitched

up and over the hood. Falls hard on the tarmac. Dazed for a

second. Blood, gushing from his forehead. Hears the PICK-UP

DOOR open...FEET running over to him.

WOMAN'S VOICE (O.S.)

Are you alright? You popped out from

nowhere!

More FEET running over.

MAN'S VOICE (O.S.)

He okay?

Will opens his eyes. Trying to focus. Looks up and sees, in

the distance...WALTER BYRD getting on the tour bus.

Will struggles to his feet. The OLD LADY who hit him,

wearing overalls. Reaches out.

OLD LADY:

I don't think you should move.

Will stands, wavering. Flashes her his badge.

INT./EXT. PICK-UP

The old lady rips along in the truck. Will sits in the

passenger seat, a handkerchief to his forehead. It's soaked

with blood. The lady looks over.

OLD LADY:

You sure you're okay?

WILL:

I'm fine.

OLD LADY:

Careful not to bleed on my interior.

Will looks over at her. Shifts in his seat. Ouch. Feels

like a couple cracked ribs. Peers out the windshield at the

TOUR BUS a few cars ahead of them.

EXT. WINDY ROAD - CONTINUOUS

AERIAL VIEW of the pick-up tailing the tour bus. A windy

coastal road. Beyond it, a blanket of endless evergreens.

EXT. FERRY STATION - OUTSIDE UMKUMIUT - DAY

A FERRY at the end of the pier. A small wooden booth for

selling tickets. Beautiful, sweeping snow-capped mountains

on the other side of the bay. Nothing else for miles around.

The pick-up pulls up next to the bus and a couple other cars.

Will jumps out. Scans the area for Byrd. Nothing. Then,

sees the last few PEOPLE boarding the ferry.

INT. FERRY - MINUTES LATER

Ferry's getting pitched around in the roiling water. Most

everyone is inside. TOURISTS with throw-away cameras,

backpacks, anoraks, CHILDREN. Some looking sea-sick in the

corner.

Will weaves through the crowd. Eyes darting, searching. The

ferry lurches to one side, the crowd sways, Will spots

WALTER BYRD standing by a window.

INT. WINDOW - FERRY

Walter holds on to the railing. Looking at the view, the sea

spray. Will comes up. Stands next to him. Cognizant of the

people around them.

WILL:

Walter Byrd.

Walter continues looking out the window. That same stuffed-

nose voice.

WALTER:

When I was seven my mother and

grandmother took me to Vancouver. We

were walking along the street one day

when these two men ran past and snatched

my grandmother's purse right from under

her arm. Right from under her arm. That

night a police officer came to our hotel

room to ask us questions. Stood the

whole time.

The ferry pitches again. Will grabs on to the railing.

Looking down at this little man. Hate in his eyes.

WALTER (cont'd)

His uniform looked brand new. His shoes

and badge were polished, his billy club,

his belt buckle. All perfect. He was

like a soldier, but better.

Walter reaches up to blow his nose. Will's eyes look on in

disgust - his knuckles are still red and swollen. From

beating Kay Connell to death.

WALTER (cont'd)

Made a huge impression on me. His

goodness. Gave me an instant respect for

the police. I tried to become a cop when

I left high school, but...

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