Se7en Page #2

Tick... tick... tick. The sound of the car alarm fades, and is

GONE. The metronome is the only sound.

Somerset's face relaxes as he begins to fall asleep. Tick...

tick... tick...

INSERT -- TITLE CARD

SUNDAY:

INT. SOMERSET'S APARTMENT -- MORNING

Somerset picks items off a moving box: his keys, wallet,

switchblade, gold homicide badge. Finally, he opens the

hardcover book he had with him on the train. From the pages, he

takes the pale, paper rose.

INT. TENEMENT APARTMENT -- DAY

Somerset stands before a wall which is stained by a star-burst of

blood. A body lies on the floor under a sheet. A sawed-off

shotgun lies not far from the body. The apartment is gloomy.

DETECTIVE TAYLOR, 52, stands on the other side of the room, looks

through a notepad.

TAYLOR:

Neighbors heard them screaming at each

other for like two hours. It was nothing

new. But, then they heard the gun go off.

Both barrels.

SOMERSET:

Did the wife confess?

TAYLOR:

When the patrolman came she was trying

put his head back together. She was crying

too hard to say anything.

Somerset beings walking around the apartment.

SOMERSET:

Why always like this? Only after the

fact... this sudden realization, that if

you shoot someone, or stick a knife in

them, that person will cease to exist.

TAYLOR:

Crime of passion.

SOMERSET:

Yes. Look at all the passion splattered up

on the wall here.

TAYLOR:

This is a done deal. All but the

paperwork.

Taylor shifts his weight, impatient. Somerset looks at a

coloring book open on the coffee table. There are crayons beside

it. Somerset picks the book up, flips through the pages.

SOMERSET:

Did their son see it happen?

TAYLOR:

I don't know.

Taylor closes his notebook, perturbed. Somerset looks at the

pictures of cute, crudely colored animals.

TAYLOR:

What kind of f***ing question is that

anyway?

Taylor walks over and grabs the coloring book to get his

attention.

TAYLOR:

You know, we're all real glad we're getting

rid of you, Somerset. You know that? I

mean, it's always these questions with

you... "Did the kid see it?" Well, who

gives a f***? Huh?

(points)

He's dead. His wife killed him.

Taylor throws the coloring book back to Somerset and walks.

TAYLOR:

Anything else has nothing to do with us.

Taylor leaves, pushing past DETECTIVE DAVID MILLS, 31, who is

just entering. Mills is muscular and handsome. He looks back at

Taylor, then around the apartment, a bit disoriented.

Somerset puts down the coloring book. He stares at the floor,

showing no reaction to Taylor's tantrum.

MILLS:

Uh, Lieutenant Somerset?

Somerset turns to see Mills.

EXT. CITY STREET -- DAY

A body bag is carried through a crowd of people outside the

tenement building.

Somerset follows the body bag out and Mills follows Somerset.

They walk towards the end of the filthy block, past a man

urinating on a car.

MILLS:

I'm a little thrown. I just got in town

like twenty minutes ago and they dumped me

here.

SOMERSET:

Since we're just starting out, I thought we

could go to a bar... sit and talk for

awhile. After that, we'll...

MILLS:

(interrupting)

Actually, if it's all the same, I'd like to

get to the precinct house a.s.a.p. Seeing

how we don't have much time for this whole

transition thing.

Somerset keeps walking, says nothing.

MILLS:

I need to start getting the feel of it all,

right? Meet the people.

SOMERSET:

I meant to ask you something, Mills, when

we spoke on the phone. I can't help

wondering... why here?

MILLS:

I... I don't follow.

SOMERSET:

All this effort you've made to get

transferred, it's the first question that

pops into my head.

MILLS:

I'm here for the same reasons as you, I

guess. Or, at least, the same reasons you

used to have for being here before...

before you decided to... quit.

Somerset stops and faces Mills.

SOMERSET:

You just met me.

MILLS:

Maybe I'm not understanding the question.

SOMERSET:

It's very simple. You worked a nice, quiet

town, but you fought to get here as if your

life depended on it. I've just never seen

it done that way before, Detective.

MILLS:

Maybe I thought I could do more good here

than there. I don't know. Look, it'd be

great by me if we didn't start right off

kicking each other in the balls. But,

you're calling the shots, Lieutenant, so...

however you want it to go.

SOMERSET:

Let me tell you how I want this to go. I

want you to look, and I want you to listen.

MILLS:

I wasn't standing around guarding the local

Taco Bell. I've worked homicide for five

and a half years.

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