Lou Page #2

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Lou exits the store, holding a brown paper bag. She heads

toward her truck and isn’t happy to see CHIEF RANKIN (50’s)

petting Jax, who wags his tail with surprising vigor.

Rankin is the island’s seasoned police chief, well versed in

handling small town crime with a fair and steady hand.

Lou throws her paper bag on the heavy canvas. Scared, Jax

BARKS at it. Lou glares at him. His tail stops wagging.

RANKIN:

Hi Lou.

LOU:

Rankin.

RANKIN:

There isn’t, by any chance, a deer

back here?

LOU:

No.

RANKIN:

‘kay. ‘Cause the season ended ages

ago. And I didn’t see your name on

the license list.

LOU:

It wouldn’t be. I don’t hunt.

Rankin nods and leans against the back of the truck. A THICK

RIVER of BLOOD pours beneath the hatch onto the dirt parking

lot. Rankin looks at it. Then at Lou.

There’s an understanding between them and that understanding

is, “we’re too old for this sh*t.” Rankin SIGHS.

RANKIN:

Alright Lou. You have a good day.

(beat, joking)

You hear a storm’s coming?

Rankin tips his hat with a small smile, side-stepping the

BLOOD PUDDLE on the way back to the patrol car.

EXT. COUNTRY ROAD (TRAVELING) - LATER

Lou’s truck cruises down the two lane road. The space between

homes increases and finally dissolves into nothing but trees.

7.

EXT. DOUBLE WIDE TRAILER - DAY

Two women sit on the trailer’s metal steps, smoking. This is

HANNAH and her friend KAYCEE, twenty-somethings embracing

80’s fashion with gusto. From the way they’re GIGGLING,

they’re clearly enjoying something stronger than tobacco.

Hannah has a carefree smile but her eyes are focused on--

VEE (5), her daughter, playing around in the woods, near a

sign that reads:
ACCESS ROAD 72. She’s holding onto MR.

HIPPO, her best toy, a purple stuffed hippopotamus.

ANGLE ON TRAILER--

Kaycee exhales, passing the “cigarette” to Hannah.

KAYCEE:

You got any flashlights?

(Hannah nods)

What you need is a generator.

HANNAH:

Yeah. I need a lot of things.

KAYCEE:

Which brings me to -- bachelor

number three.

Kaycee raises a newspaper folded to the classified section.

KAYCEE (CONT’D)

(reading)

Hardworking fisherman looking for

SF. All the seafood you ever wanted

in exchange for love and a home

cooked meal. Musts are good

teeth...

Hannah smiles. White and straight. Check.

KAYCEE (CONT’D)

...Long hair....

Hannah shakes her curly perm. Check.

KAYCEE (CONT’D)

...and...

She stops. Hannah smiles knowingly.

HANNAH:

And no kids.

8.

KAYCEE:

F*** him. Bet his balls smell like

seaweed and chum.

The women GIGGLE. Hannah takes a long toke.

KAYCEE (CONT’D)

It’d be easier to set you up if you

didn’t live in the middle of

nowhere. You gotta move closer to

the Harbor.

HANNAH:

(exhaling)

Rent’s too good out here. She

doesn’t know what this place is

worth.

Kaycee glances back at the trailer.

KAYCEE:

Can’t be much.

HANNAH:

Well, I’m paying even less than

that. Been five years since I moved

back to the island, rent’s never

gone up. Trailer was brand new too.

KAYCEE:

But your landlord--

HANNAH:

She’s more bark than bite.

LOU’S TRUCK appears at the end of the long, dirt driveway.

KAYCEE:

Speaking of the devil.

HANNAH:

(re:
the joint)

Shoot. Hide that thing!

EXT./INT. LOU’S TRUCK/DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS

Lou glares at the trailer, watching Hannah comically wave

away the smoke. She doesn’t like what she sees.

LOU:

(to herself)

Not supposed to smoke.

Her truck bounces over the pitted driveway.

9.

EXT. DOUBLE WIDE TRAILER - CONTINUOUS

Hannah’s hands return to her sides as Kaycee hides the joint

under the trailer’s steps.

KAYCEE:

You think the rumors are true?

About Lou?

HANNAH:

Nah.

KAYCEE:

Come on. Not even a little?

HANNAH:

(considering)

I mean, she seems pretty tough.

KAYCEE:

I could see her killing a man. Lou

-- the super spy!

HANNAH:

I thought she was an assassin.

KAYCEE:

There’s a difference?

HANNAH:

An assassin kills people.

KAYCEE:

A spy can’t kill someone?

HANNAH:

Sure. But I think they have to spy

on them first. An assassin doesn't

need to do that.

KAYCEE:

So a spy can be an assassin but not

the other way ‘round?

Hannah thinks about this.

HANNAH:

That doesn’t sound right either.

(beat)

What do you think her secret weapon

was?

KAYCEE:

A bad attitude.

10.

The women LAUGH. Then SUDDENLY -- Hannah jumps from the

trailer steps, sprinting forward with an unexpected burst of

kinetic energy.

HANNAH:

STOP! STOP!

She runs at Lou’s truck, waving her arms.

EXT./INT. TRUCK CAB/DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS

Lou sees Hannah from the corner of her eye. She slams the

breaks. The front wheels of the truck LOCK, the back

fishtails as the truck shudders to a stop.

- Jax’s face smashes into the truck’s metal exterior. DEER

BLOOD sloshes all over him. But he’s not about to let this

interrupt his nap.

Lou looks out her windshield, over the hood and finds Vee,

wide-eyed, frozen in front of the truck’s fender.

She watches as Hannah reaches her daughter, scoops her up and

SMACKS her on the ass. Hard. Hannah isn’t playing.

HANNAH:

What’d I tell you about the

driveway? Stay away from it! It’s

not safe!

Lou unrolls her window, hoping to interrupt the punishment.

It works. Hannah blushes, embarrassed by her questionable

parenting technique.

HANNAH (CONT’D)

She’s fine. Aren’t you, Vee?

Vee nods, wiping her eyes.

VEE:

Hi Lou.

LOU:

Hm.

Hannah sets Vee down. She runs past Hannah’s beloved car, a

VW Rabbit, to Kaycee, who waits by the trailer.

Hannah turns back to Lou.

HANNAH:

Sorry about that. Listen, I know

rent’s late. Vee got an ear ache

and the medicine was really-

11.

LOU:

With a name like Vee, you can

hardly expect her not to run in

front of trucks.

Hannah bites her tongue. Lou’s her landlord after all.

LOU (CONT’D)

You like deer?

HANNAH:

Sure.

LOU:

I got a bunch in back. Fresh.

Hannah glances at the back of the truck, sees Jax COVERED IN

BLOOD and quickly realizes Lou’s talking about dead deer.

HANNAH:

Oh, I thought you meant -- um,

we’re vegetarians.

LOU:

Oh, for Pete’s sake.

(her tolerance evaporates)

Drop the rent off tomorrow. Come in

and put it on the table. It’ll just

get wet in the mailbox. Just leave

it on the table. Don’t bother

trying to say hello. I’m busy.

Lou throws the truck in gear and speeds up the driveway. She

watches Hannah in the REARVIEW MIRROR, shaking her head.

LOU (CONT’D)

Vegetarians.

ANGLE ON TRAILER-

Hannah returns to the steps, helping Kaycee to her feet.

HANNAH:

Everyday she’s a darker shade of

crazy.

Vee runs around, pointing her finger.

VEE:

Lou! Lou! Lou! She’ll point -- a

gun at you!

12.

HANNAH:

(trying not to smile)

Did Miss Kaycee teach you that?

(to Kaycee)

Want to stay for dinner?

KAYCEE:

Nah, I gotta take off. If I don’t

get some beer before the storm

hits, Deacon’s gonna be pissed.

I’ll swing by tomorrow. Make sure

you haven’t blown away.

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