Shallow Grave Page #10

MCCALL:

Well, if you do, you'll let us know?

DAVID:

Of course.

MCCALL:

And the other three people on the flat, did they hear anything?

DAVID:

There are only two other people in the flat.

McCall consults a notebook.

MCCALL:

Two?

DAVID:

Who said there were four?

MCCALL:

We understood there were four people living here. Not always, of

course, but now, four.

DAVID:

No, three. Who said there were four?

MCCALL:

How strange. And how unsatisfactory to have misleading

information. Only three people here. You're sure?

DAVID:

Yes, absolutely.

MCCALL:

Take a note of that, Mitchell. Only three, rather than four.

Write it down. You can use numbers or words, I have no

preference. Which are you using?

MITCHELL:

Both, sir.

MCCALL:

Excellent. DC Mitchell is a rising star, Mr. Stevens. Under my

tutelage he will undoubtedly make the grade.

DAVID:

I see.

MCCALL:

I doubt it. And these two other people, did they hear anything?

DAVID:

No, they were asleep. They didn't even wake up.

MCCALL:

Yes. Why do you think you woke and they didn't?

DAVID:

I don't know. Maybe I'm a light sleeper.

Uncomfortably, David realizes that Mitchell has noted down even

this last, trivial remark in a painful longhand and has

underlined a short segment of it.

INT. HALL. NIGHT

In the hallway of the flat Mitchell stands at the open main door,

waiting to leave. McCall is kneeling at the door to Hugo's room,

tracing his finger down the broken lintel and lock. David looks

on.

MCCALL:

Loks like you had a break-in up here as well.

DAVID:

Someone lost the key.

McCall gently pushes the door open and the light from the hall

illuminates Hugo's room.

MCCALL:

Is this where no one stays?

DAVID:

Yeah, that's right, that's it.

David notices that Mitchell is writing this down.

INT. GARDEN AT FRONT OF THE FLAT. NIGHT

ALEX:

You'll wait in the hall?

JULIET:

I'll wait there.

ALEX:

And if it sounds like I'm being killed, you'll phone the police,

you'll tell them everything?

JULIET:

Everything.

ALEX:

Everything. Except maybe that it was his idea and not mine in the

first place. OK? That's important to me. I need to die

misunderstood.

JULIET:

Alex.

ALEX:

What?

JULIET:

As smart as you are, you'll need a little help.

She hands Alex a Yale key. Alex stares at it.

INT. LOFT. NIGHT

In the darkness, the sound of the lock being turned is heard.

INT. HALL. NIGHT

Alex tsands at the top of the ladder, holding the key in the

trapdoor lock.

ALEX:

All right, David, what I'm going to do is, I'm going to open this

lock and I'm going to come up, and what's important is that you

remain calm.

There is one light on. Juliet stands at the bottom of the ladder.

Having opened the trapdoor, Alex stops and listens, but there is

no sound above his own breathing. Juliet throws up a torch, which

he catches. He switches it on. It shines, then goes out, and he

knocks it against the ladder, making it work again. Slowly he

pushes the trapdoor open.

INT. LOFT. NIGHT

The trapdoor opens. Below it, Alex crouches on the ladder,

expecting attack at any moment. He looks back down to Juliet, who

returns his gaze, then he slowly raises himself into the loft.

He turns around quickly, darting the torchlight around into

corners and squinting in the darkness, but he sees nothing.

The torch goes out. Cursing, he knocks it against a beam and it

shines again.

Slowly he moves further from the trapdoor into the centre of the

loft, still turning around and worried about what might be behind

him.

INT. HALL. NIGHT

Juliet stands waiting, braced for sounds of conflict.

INT. LOFT. NIGHT

Alex is still looking but has relaxed a little, feeling les in

danger. In one corner he notices David's pile of left-possessions

and the mat on which he has been sleeping. He moves towards it.

INT. HALL. NIGHT

Juliet stands, still waiting.

INT. LOFT. NIGHT

Alex stands in David's corner. With another sweep of the torch he

can still see nothing. He calls to Juliet.

ALEX:

He isn't up here.

INT. HALL. NIGHT

A close-up of Juliet's face, just as David's hand slams across

her mouth, gripping her tightly while his other hand clamps on

the back of her head. David's mouth is right up against her ear

as he spits a warning into it.

DAVID:

Tell him to look for the money.

Slowly, David relaxes his grip on Juliet.

JULIET:

Look for the money.

INT. LOFT. NIGHT

Alex, cheerful now, is looking in the rafters.

ALEX:

Don't worry, that's what I'm doing.

INT. HALL. NIGHT

David holds Juliet across her face again. She is terrified and

does not struggle.

DAVID:

Expecting anyone?

JULIET:

What?

DAVID:

Were you expecting anyone? Tonight?

JULIET:

No.

DAVID:

Visitors? Some friends maybe? Someone you talked to?

JULIET:

No one. I promise.

DAVID:

Who have you talked to?

JULIET:

No one.

DAVID:

If I think you're lying --

INT. LOFT. NIGHT

Alex stands gazing around the loft.

ALEX:

(from the loft)

Well, it's not up here.

INT. HALL. NIGHT

David pulls Juliet to one side.

INT. LOFT. NIGHT

Alex is about to descend when he notices the water tank. He walks

over and lifts the lid. His face breaks into a smile as he

realizes what it holds. He dips an arm into the tank, raises the

yellow bag, then quickly lowers it again. Alex steps back from

the water tank.

INT. HALL. NIGHT

Alex appears at the top of the ladder. Without looking, he slides

down as quickly as he can, calling out as he does so.

ALEX:

Juliet, I have --

Alex reaches the base of the ladder. He turns around to find

himself facing the blade of the battery-operated drill, held by

David. Juliet stands off to one side.

ALEX:

(continued)

-- a problem.

David holds the drill even closer until it is almost touching the

centre of Alex's forehead and presses the trigger' to turn the

blade slowly as he speaks.

Alex does not move at all.

DAVID:

You looking for me?

ALEX:

Looking for you? Yes.

DAVID:

What for? What did you want? The money? Was that it?

ALEX:

We just wanted to speak to you.

Alex's hands and sleeves are wet. A few drops of water fall from

his fingertips. Unnoticed by the other two, he slowly wipes his

hands on the back of his jeans.

DAVID:

Who else have you wanted to speak to? Maybe you thought they'd

already got me.

The blade os the drill scrapes Alex's skin.

ALEX:

Who?

DAVID:

Your friends.

ALEX:

I don't know what you're talking about.

JULIET:

He doesn't know David.

David holds the drill back slightly while he thinks. It could go

either way.

DAVID:

Well, maybe you don't --

David lowers the drill and smiles.

DAVID:

(continued)

I'm talking about the police.

INT. ALEX'S ROOM. DAY

Alex has just woken up. He rubs his forehead. There is a nick in

it, where the drill has scratched. He rubs at it and examines the

drop of blood on the end of his finger.

INT. DAVID'S POINT OF VIEW. ALEX'S ROOM. DAY

Looking down from a hole in the ceiling, we see into Alex's room,

where he is getting dressed.

INT. HALL. DAY

Alex leaves his room and enters the hall.

INT. LOFT. DAY

Looking down from a hole in the ceiling, we see into Alex's room,

where he is getting dressed.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes