Knives Out Page #7

MARTA:

Oh my god.

She snatches up the first vial she just injected him from.

Compares the label to the one she just picked up. They're

similar but not the same.

HARLAN:

Is there a problem?

MARTA:

This is what I just gave you 100

milligrams of. But I messed up.

HARLAN:

You gave me 100 milligrams of the

good stuff.

She immediately pulls an EMERGENCY KIT from a nearby shelf,

starts calmly but quickly going through its contents.

HARLAN (cont'd)

What's the good stuff dosage supposed

to be?

MARTA:

Lets not call it that right now -

three milligrams.

HARLAN:

That's much less. So what happens?

MARTA:

I give you an emergency shot of

Naloxone, so that you don't die in

ten minutes.

HARLAN:

Well no pressure. You know that's an

interesting, efficient method for

murder, I need to write that down.

He gets a little notebook and scribbles while she checks and

rechecks the kit contents with increasing urgency.

HARLAN (cont'd)

So if someone switched the meds on

purpose I'd be dead in ten minutes,

like stone cold dead?

MARTA:

You'll feel symptoms in five. Sweats,

disorientation.

(MORE)

41.

Then yeah, that big a dose, injected,

MARTA (cont'd)

within ten your respiratory - your -

yes ten minutes.

HARLAN:

From the time of injection, so

eightish now. And even if the victim

called an ambulance when he first

felt symptoms, if he was at a country

home like this one... where the

ambulance takes fifteen minutes to

arrive, it would be too late. If the

victim didn't have this emergency

Naxostuff.

He watches her. She's now digging around the carpet,

looking under the couch. She dumps the entire contents of

the kit out and is now frantically going through it. A bead

of sweat rolls down Harlan's brow.

HARLAN (cont'd)

Marta. Do you have Naxostuff?

MARTA:

Yes! Naloxone yes it comes with the

emergency kit - it should be here,

it's - f***. No Harlan it's not

here. It's not. Oh my god.

They look at each other for a second. She's panicked. He's

thinking.

MARTA (cont'd)

Where's my phone? Sh*t -

She picks up a landline phone on the table, dials 911 with

shaking hands -

Before it can even ring, the line goes dead.

She looks, unbelieving: Harlan's finger is on the cradle.

His eyes are locked with hers, serious and certain.

MARTA (cont'd)

Harlan what are you doing?

HARLAN:

Marta, listen to me.

MARTA:

Harlan we need to - are you

crazy, we need to call, they

need to get here I need to -

HARLAN:

Stop. Stop stop, Marta

listen there isn't time stop

now stop

42.

She goes for her cell phone across the room and Harlan stops

her - they trip and fall to the ground with a KA-THUNK.

MARTA:

What are you doing are you

nuts?

HARLAN:

Marta it's too late it is

over, it's too late I am

dead listen. LISTEN.

He actually puts his hand over her mouth.

HARLAN (cont'd)

Listen. If what you said is true I

am gone, there's no saving me, we

have six minutes. There is one last

thing I need to do in this world, and

only you can help me do it. But you

need to trust me and do everything I

say.

MARTA:

What do you want to do?

HARLAN:

Get you out of this. Think of your

mom - please trust me, we have to

make this look ironclad like it can't

have been your fault. You. Can't.

Have done this.

MARTA:

My mom...?

CREAK on the stairs outside.

HARLAN:

Get up.

A knock on the door.

JONI (O.S.)

Harlan? Marta? Everything alright?

Harlan and Marta stand. She's dazed, deer in the

headlights, but he's focused and sharp. He turns her away

from the door.

HARLAN:

Stand here, keep your back to me,

don't say a word.

Harlan opens the door. While he gets rid of Joni we stick

with Marta, who stands stock still, tears running down her

face, eyes wild - what does she do?

43.

HARLAN (cont'd)

Joni.

JONI:

I - hi - I heard something, is

everything ok?

HARLAN:

Oh yes we just, I just knocked over

the GO board, sorry about that.

JONI:

Everything's alright?

HARLAN:

Yes yes all fine, go to bed Joni.

JONI:

Ok. And maybe we can talk tomorrow

about the, uh, the thing with

HARLAN:

Yes. Tomorrow.

JONI:

Love you, Night.

HARLAN:

Night night.

Harlan shuts the door. Looks at the knife still sticking in

the desk. Then takes Marta's shoulders, looks in her eyes.

HARLAN (cont'd)

Your mom is still undocumented, if

this is your fault she'll be found

out and at best deported, your family

will be broken.

A new kind of fear in Marta's eyes.

MARTA:

Oh god

HARLAN:

But we're not going to let

that happen. I have a plan,

it's not going to be easy

but you have to do exactly

what I tell you. Will you

do this Marta? This last

thing. For me, and for your

family. Will you. Please.

She's terrified. But she nods.

44.

EXT. FRONT PORCH - NIGHT OF THE PARTY - FLASHBACK

Walt smoking and Jacob.

HARLAN (V.O.)

Go downstairs as noisily as you can,

say goodbye loudly.

MARTA (O.S.)

Walt! I'm leaving!

Marta exits quickly, down to her car.

HARLAN (V.O.)

Call attention to the time if you

can.

MARTA:

God it's almost midnight.

Walt checks his watch.

INT. MARTA'S CAR - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

She drives out the guard gate and down the private road.

HARLAN (V.O.)

Drive out the gate, then to avoid the

security cameras, pull off the road

BEFORE the carved elephant.

Up ahead - a weathered wood carved elephant statue.

MARTA:

Wait... was it before or after?

HARLAN (V.O.)

AFTER the carved elephant.

MARTA:

No, he said - before? Was it?

HARLAN (V.O.)

BEAFTERFORE the carved elephant.

MARTA:

Sh*t...

She yanks the wheel and pulls off BEFORE the statue.

45.

EXT. WOODS - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

Marta trudges away from the parked car, tree branches

catching her hair.

HARLAN (V.O.)

Park and come back on foot up to the

house,

MARTA:

Goddammit Harlan.

EXT. THROMBEY ESTATE SIDE GATE - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

A waist-high stone wall with a little pedestrian gate. The

house up ahead. Marta goes through the gate and up towards

the house.

HARLAN (V.O.)

Take the side yard path, through that

little gate.

The DOGS sprint down the moonlit yard from the house towards

Marta.

HARLAN (V.O.) (cont'd)

The dogs will know you, they

shouldn't bark.

The dogs stop at Marta and lick her hand.

EXT. THROMBEY ESTATE SIDE YARD - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

Marta looks up the side of the looming house. A sturdy

trellis on the wall, and high above a third story window.

HARLAN (V.O.)

You've got to get up to the third

floor without being seen, and the

only way is to climb the side trellis

and come in through the trick hall

window.

MARTA:

You've gotta be kidding me.

HARLAN (V.O.)

I am not. Do it.

46.

Cut to:
moments later, Marta climbing the trellis. It's

easy going until a piece BREAKS under her foot, and she

swings for a second by one hand.

HARLAN (V.O.) (cont'd)

And for godssakes don't make any

noise.

INT. THIRD FLOOR LANDING - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

What appears to be a dead end hallway, with a painting at

the end. BUT suddenly the end wall swings away like a door,

revealing a WINDOW behind it. Marta heaves her way in

through it, and steps lightly into Harlan's bedroom.

HARLAN (V.O.)

Once you're inside, this is the

tricky part.

MARTA (V.O.)

THIS is the tricky part?

INT. HARLAN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

HARLAN (V.O.)

Get my robe and cap from my bedroom.

And put them on.

She picks them up from the bed. Stops. A moment of doubt.

INT. HARLAN THROMBEY'S STUDY - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

Back to the scene with Harlan. Marta stops him.

MARTA:

Harlan this is - I -

HARLAN:

Suspicion is going to fall on you,

and we need to make this so airtight

your average cop will entirely

dismiss you as a suspect. This seems

crazy but it will work.

INT. HARLAN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

Marta in the robe, pulling the cap on, tucking her hair

under it.

47.

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