Mumford Page #21

MUMFORD (V.O.)

The parties met repeatedly over a

period of months. The IRS offered to

settle for a sizable but, they said,

fair amount. Worrell said he'd done

nothing wrong and threatened to fight

it all the way to Washington. He

seemed pretty strong. I was secretly

pulling for him. McLure and the

District Manager stepped up the

pressure.

EXT. PARKING LOT, WORRELL FURNITURE FACTORY - DAY

MOVING POV OUT THE WINDSHIELD of Gregory's government car as

it comes speeding into the parking lot. There are two flashing

Squad Cars and an Ambulance at the entrance. As Gregory's

car hits a speedbump, the IMAGE BEGINS TO SLOW DOWN --

MUMFORD (V.O.)

What none of us down at the Service

knew was that Edmond Worrell had a

story too... Worrell's was that he'd

been fighting chronic depression for

thirty years. Under the heat of the

investigation, he fell off his

medication. One Tuesday morning, he

went down to the factory early, wrote

his family a letter, then used the

9mm automatic they kept there to

kill himself... The DM dropped the

case that day and started proceedings

to get rid of Gregory...

The IMAGE HAS SLOWED TO A STILL. It now DISSOLVES TO:

EXT. GREGORY'S HOUSE, CITY STREET - NIGHT

Mumford's POV as he comes up the steps. The front door opens

before he gets there. Candy, her face bruised, her eyes red,

comes into view, she has a suitcase in hand.

MUMFORD (V.O.)

Gregory went home drunk, beat up

Candy and went out to drink some

more. Candy told me she didn't want

to see me again. She hated us both

and she was leaving us both... It

made perfect sense to me. I felt the

same way...

INT. BEDROOM, MUMFORD'S CITY APARTMENT - NIGHT

Mumford is frantically, futilely looking for an imagined

drug stash. He's ransacked the place and is now throwing the

clothes out of a drawer.

INT. BATHROOM, MUMFORD'S CITY APARTMENT - NIGHT

Mumford looks desperately through the pill bottles and

detritus in his squalid medicine cabinet.

MUMFORD (V.O.)

...In fact, I was jealous of Candy.

I wanted to leave too, just like

her... get as far away from --

Giving up, Mumford slams the medicine cabinet shut and FOR

THE FIRST TIME SINCE HIS STORY BEGAN, WE SEE MUMFORD in his

previous incarnation. And this is probably as bad as he ever

looked. He stares at his image in the mirror.

MUMFORD (V.O.)

-- me... as possible.

EXT. SECOND FLOOR PORCH, THE DUPLEX HOUSE - NIGHT

Skip is staring at Mumford. Empty beer bottles are lined up

on the porch railing.

SKIP:

And so you did...

Mumford nods.

SKIP:

And the drugs?

MUMFORD:

Harder than I thought. Took me three

tries. But I was highly motivated --

figured there was no point in leaving

me and taking that along. After two

bomb-outs, I found a place in the

desert...

INT. DESERT DRUG REHAB CENTER - SUNRISE

A venetian blind is raised, revealing sunrise over a desert

landscape.

MUMFORD (V.O.)

The joint wasn't fancy -- it was run

by an order of monks -- but it worked.

When I got out of there, I was just

about broke...

EXT. SECOND FLOOR PORCH, THE DUPLEX HOUSE - NIGHT

Mumford gets up from his chair and moves toward his door.

MUMFORD:

...which seemed perfect for starting

something new. Be back.

Mumford goes inside. Skip sits listening to the night. From

downstairs, in Lily's apartment, he HEARS A SHOWER GO ON.

Mumford comes back out.

SKIP:

Somebody's taking a shower down there.

MUMFORD:

That'd be Lily.

SKIP:

I wish I could live in the shower.

I'd take five a day if I had the

time. I went to this spa in Germany,

a sanitarium practically, up on this

mountain. And the great thing --

they just kept you wet all day.

MUMFORD:

Who'd you go with?

(Skip:
"alone")

That's not good.

SKIP:

How'd you do it?

(Mumford is confused)

The new you.

MUMFORD:

You know how easy it is. A kid can

manage it if he wants a fake I.D.

You can do practically the whole

deal at your local Kinko's. The only

variable is how much pride you take

in the product.

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