Jennifer 8 Page #16

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54:
INT. ANTI ROOM/INTERROGATION. POLICE STATION. DAY.

This room and the interrogation room are linked with a one-way

mirror. BERLIN looks through munching gum. EMERSON is 25 years

old and many pounds of vexed flesh. But something about her ex-

pression expects apology. SERATO paces the place chain-smoking.

ROSS listens devastated as the EXPERT explains his lousy chart.

EXPERT:

This is the important one. She

gets a dead straight line, and

that's an exceptional reading ..

SERATO:

.. this is the stupidest thing

we ever done. F***ing Citrine's

gonna fire one of us for this ..

ROSS:

I can't believe it. I just

know she someway busted it.

EXPERT:

This is an honest girl. She

couldn't lie if she tried ..

BERLIN:

Is she lying, Ross?

For a moment there is an intense trust between ROSS and BERLIN.

ROSS:

Yes.

Alright f*** it. Let's go for broke. BERLIN grabs the read out.

Fueled on residual anger he vanishes out the door. ROSS is fir-

st at the mirror to see him reappear in the interrogation room.

55:
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM. POLICE STATION. DAY.

The polygraph machine looks like state of the art. A table and

two chairs. BERLIN takes one and sits opposite EMERSON. She at-

tempts a smile but he kills it with the intensity of his stare.

BERLIN:

My name's Sergeant John Berlin.

And the time is his. He knows what he's doing. And she doesn't.

I been a policeman 17 years: 16

years 9 months of which with the

L.A.P.D. I witnessed literally

hundreds of lie-detector tests,

and I never seen one like this?

EMERSON:

What d'ya mean, Sergeant?

BERLIN:

Well, look at it. Look at this

line? That's the important one.

Dead straight down the page. No-

body gets a dead straight down

the page. Even our expert says

a dead straight's "exceptional."

All he's doing is telling her truth. Up to her to interpret it.

Thought you might wanna comment?

A tongue slides through the lipstick like something being born.

EMERSON:

I wasn't actually lying, Officer.

And suddenly the only thing holding her chops up is Max Factor.

He's got her on the roll now and all it needs is one more push.

BERLIN:

You busted the box, lady! You flunk-

ed it .. You lied about things you

didn't need to lie about .. The only

truthful statement you made's your

name .. Your name is Carol Emerson?

The quivering lip and flooding eyes amalgamate into a horrible

sort of groan. She's bellied up and anxious to spill her beans.

BERLIN better get through the door fast because he might laugh.

You tell one more lie, you're go-

ing in a cell. Sergeant Ross is

coming in to take your statement.

56:
EXT. ROSS'S BOAT. HUMBOLDT BAY. EUREKA. DAY.

A wave atomizes and comes down like silver champagne. HELENA &

BERLIN hang on the prow of the boat with the ocean rushing bel-

ow. Another wave and more spray for HELENA. She turns like get-

ting sea in your face is the best invention ever. Oilskins sat-

urated and her hair streaming and she knows he's loving it too.

57:
INT. WHEELHOUSE. BOAT. DAY.

Sunshine & spray on the windshield. ROSS at the wheel with MAR-

GIE next to him. Eyes on BERLIN & HELENA playing like children.

MARGIE:

Such a shame .. She's

a really sweet kid ..

ROSS:

She's a doll. But I wish he

hadn't brought her out here.

Stairs descend to a cabin and ROSS interrupts himself to shout.

Bobby, what happened to that

beer? Rule one, is you don't

diddle around with a witness.

MARGIE:

He's happy, darlin ..

ROSS:

I'm sure he is. But gettin in-

to the "element" is a bad idea.

BOBBY clatters up the stairs clutching a six pack of Budweiser.

Tell em I'm going up the coast

a way, get out of this weather.

BOBBY exits the wheelhouse and walks their eyes back to HELENA.

MARGIE (O.S.)

Except for the hair color,

she looks just like Suzanne?

ROSS (O.S.)

Well, that's who she is.

Cept she can't run away.

58:
EXT. FISHING DECK ABOVE WHEELHOUSE. BOAT. DAY.

Wind over and sea content and anchored about a mile from shore.

Smoke from a dying barbecue and Nat King Cole croons "Unforget-

able." ROSS sports shades and sits staring down the line. Some-

one plays lousy guitar and he shifts eyes into the well of the

boat. HELENA teaches BOBBY to play chords. Hardly worth the ef-

fort but they're enjoying it. BERLIN looks down from the oppos-

ite side of the deck. His gaze interrupted by MARGIE "You want

another Coke, honey?" Sure he does and her eyes travel to ROSS.

MARGIE:

You want something, darling?

ROSS:

I wouldn't mind another B.E.E.R.

In code so BERLIN won't understand. But he and ROSS swap grins.

How much longer you on that diet?

BERLIN:

I'm doing it by the day ...

MARGIE climbs the stairs with drinks and drinks a beer herself.

Popped cans change the subject. This seems like a question BER-

LIN doesn't really want to ask & MARGIE doesn't want to answer.

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