Se7en Page #7

SOMERSET:

It's too soon for him.

MILLS:

(to the captain)

Can we talk about this in private?

The captain looks at Somerset, then at Mills.

CAPTAIN:

That's not necessary. You're in.

MILLS:

Thank you.

CAPTAIN:

Go start picking up the pieces. We'll

shuffle some paper and try to get you a new

partner.

Mills looks at Somerset, then leaves, closing the door. Somerset

seems deflated, staring at the floor. He looks at the captain.

CAPTAIN:

You win, Somerset. You're out.

INSERT -- TITLE CARD

TUESDAY:

EXT. CITY STREET -- DAY

A newspaper vendor lays out a pile of tabloid newspapers at the

front of his busy newsstand.

The papers' headline is: BIZARRE MURDER!, in huge, black print.

The vendor lays out another tabloid pile. Headline: "EAT OR DIE"

SAYS GLUTTONY KILLER!!, in big, red letters.

The vendor throws down a third tabloid stack. SICKENING

MURDER -- EXCLUSIVE DETAILS INSIDE!, it reads.

INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, SOMERSET'S OFFICE -- DAY

The office is old, with a single window which faces a billboard.

TRAFFIC is HEARD from outside. There are moving boxes on the

floor. Somerset is at his desk with paperwork in two sloppy

piles. He uses a manual typewriter, filling in a yellow form.

He types hunt-and-peck, slowly. He finishes the form and pulls

it out. There is a knock at the door.

SOMERSET:

Come in.

The captain pushes the door and stands in the doorway with a

PAINTER/WORKMAN at his side.

CAPTAIN:

Excuse us. We have some business to take

care of.

As always, the neatly groomed captain clenches his jaw.

Somerset lines a new form in the typewriter, starts typing.

The captain strolls in. Two boxes sit on the floor with

DETECTIVE MILLS written across them. He picks up one of the

boxes and sets it on top of the other.

At the open door, the workman takes a razor blade from his kit.

He brings it against the writing on the glass of the door:

DETECTIVE SOMERSET. The workman pushes the razor to start

scraping the name away, and the razor on glass sounds like

fingernails on a blackboard.

Somerset looks up.

WORKMAN:

Sorry.

Somerset turns back to the typing, hunt-and-peck. The captain

watches. The workman continues.

CAPTAIN:

Have you heard?

SOMERSET:

(not looking up)

No, I haven't heard.

CAPTAIN:

There was a second.

Somerset stops, looks at the captain.

SOMERSET:

Already.

CAPTAIN:

Greed. It was written in blood.

Somerset thinks about this, then turns to type.

SOMERSET:

It's none of my business anymore.

CAPTAIN:

I thought you might want to be filled in.

SOMERSET:

I'm sure everyone's doing their best.

CAPTAIN:

Yeah.

SOMERSET:

Good.

Hunt-and-peck. The captain's jowls clamp. He steps up to

Somerset's desk, begins to straighten the two piles of forms.

CAPTAIN:

Come on. What are you going to do with

yourself out there?

SOMERSET:

I'll get a job, maybe on a farm. I'll work

on the house.

CAPTAIN:

Can't you feel it yet? Can't you feel that

feeling... ? You're not going to be a cop

anymore.

SOMERSET:

What are you talking about?

CAPTAIN:

You know.

Somerset reclines, facing the captain.

SOMERSET:

Did you read in the paper today, about the

man who was walking his dog? he was

attacked, and his wallet and his watch

were taken. And then, while he was still

lying unconscious, his attacker stabbed him

with a knife in both eyes. It happened

four blocks from here.

CAPTAIN:

I heard.

SOMERSET:

I have no understanding of this place

anymore.

CAPTAIN:

It's always been like this.

SOMERSET:

Really?

Somerset saddles up to the typewriter.

SOMERSET:

Maybe you're right.

The captain lays the paperwork down. Both piles are now neat.

CAPTAIN:

You do this work. You were made for it,

and I don't think you can deny that. I

certainly can't believe you're trading it

in for a tool belt and a fishing rod.

(pause, walks to leave)

Maybe I'm wrong.

The captain leaves. Somerset looks up. He grabs the paperwork

piles and ruffles them back to their disheveled state. He looks

up at the workman.

The workman is looking at Somerset, has a rag in his hand to

remove the last remnants of Somerset's name.

SOMERSET:

(angrily)

Try putting a little elbow grease into it.

The workman is startled, continues his work.

INT. SOMERSET'S APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM -- LATE NIGHT

There is a dart board on one wall. THWACK -- Somerset's

switchblade hits the board and embeds.

Somerset crosses the nearly empty living room and takes the blade

from the dart board. He walks back to stand in front of the only

chair in the room. He throws the switchblade.

It embeds in the dart board. Somerset sits.

He picks a book off the floor and holds it in his lap. KIDS can

be HEARD CURSING and playing LOUD MUSIC from outside the

shuttered window. Somerset stares at the ceiling. He opens the

book and looks at the pages... stares at the pages...

Rate this script:3.4 / 8 votes