Spotlight Page #14

My mother? She put out freakin’

cookies.

Sacha blinks.

103A INT. DUSSOURD APARTMENT, JAMAICA PLAIN - DAY (FORMERLY 1021)03A

A small apartment. MARYETTA DUSSOURD, 57, wears a gold cross.

DUSSOURD:

There was a lot of pressure to keep

quiet.

She struggles. Matt across from her, prods...

MATT:

From the Church?

DUSSOURD:

Yeah, from the Church... but not

just the Church. From my friends,

from the other parishioners...

101 INT. GLOBE, SPOTLIGHT OFFICE - EARLY EVENING 101

CLOSE ON a spreadsheet, going up on the wall. Names of

priests, dates, reports...

SIPE (OVER THE PHONE)

Well, many of the priests I treated

were psychosexually stunted....

REVEAL Sacha putting up the list of 15 priests on the

corkboard as Matt walks over 3x5 CARDS with VICTIM’S STORIES.

In the foreground, Mike talks on the phone to Sipe.

11/26/14 87.

SIPE (OVER THE PHONE) (CONT’D)

...on the emotional level of a

twelve or thirteen year old.

MIKE:

Jeez.

103 INT. COFFEE SHOP, HINGHAM - DAY 103

Sacha sits with the a COP, 40s, African-American.

COP:

Sure, the chief knew, everybody

knew. But nobody wants to cuff a

priest.

SACHA:

What about the prosecutor?

COP:

I shouldn’t talk about this sh*t.

SACHA:

I think you should actually.

Sacha waits, stares him down.

103a EXT. JAMAICA PLAIN - DAY 103a

Sacha talks to a painter on a ladder.

SACHA:

Do you know a Father Hurley or a

Father Gale?

MAN:

I do.

103aa EXT. TWO DECKER, DORCHESTER - DAY 103aa

A man yells at Matt from his porch.

MAN:

You get out of here before I

kick the sh*t out of you,

alright?

MATT:

Sorry to bother you. Sorry

to bother you....

MAN:

You leave me alone, leave my brother

alone, you hear me goddammit?

11/26/14 88.

104 EXT. TWO FAMILY HOUSE - MALDEN, MA - LATE AFTERNOON 104

Sacha walks up to a door. The knock. A kindly looking OLDER

MAN (RONALD PAQUIN) in a checkered shirt answers the door.

SACHA:

Hi, I’m looking for Ronald Paquin.

RONALD PAQUIN:

Yes?

Sacha blinks, surprised.

SACHA:

You’re... Father Paquin?

FATHER PAQUIN:

Yes, that’s right.

SACHA:

(rapid, tense)

My name is Sacha Pfeiffer, I, I’m a

reporter with the Boston Globe.

FATHER PAQUIN:

Okay.

Sacha, awkward, reaches for her pad.

SACHA:

Could I ask you a few questions?

FATHER PAQUIN:

Go ahead, dear.

Sacha starts recording.

SACHA:

We’ve talked to several men who knew

you when they were boys at St. John

the Baptist in Haverhill? They told

us you molested them? Is that true?

FATHER PAQUIN:

...Sure. I fooled around. But I

never felt gratified myself.

Sacha almost hides her shock.

SACHA:

Right, uh, but you admit that you

molested boys at St. John the

Baptist?

11/26/14 89.

FATHER PAQUIN:

Yes, yes, but as I said, I never got

any pleasure from it. That’s

important to understand.

SACHA:

Right. Can you tell me where and

how you, uh, fooled around with

these boys.

FATHER PAQUIN:

I want to be clear, I never raped

anyone. There’s a difference. I

should know.

SACHA:

How would you know?

FATHER PAQUIN:

I was raped.

SACHA:

...I’m sorry... who raped you?

JANE PAQUIN (O.C.)

Ronny? Who’re you talking to? FATHER PAQUIN

It’s okay, Jane.

SACHA (CONT’D)

Father Paquin, who raped you?

Paquin’s sister, JANE PAQUIN, 50s, comes to the door.

JANE PAQUIN:

Who are you? SACHA

Sacha Pfeiffer, I’m with the

Globe--

JANE PAQUIN:

Please get off my porch. FATHER PAQUIN

I can speak for myself, Jane.

JANE PAQUIN:

Get inside the house, Ronald. SACHA

I just have a few more--

JANE PAQUIN:

Get inside, Ronnie. SACHA

I’m sorry, who are you?

JANE PAQUIN:

I’m his sister, and I don’t

want you coming back here.

SACHA:

Ms. Paquin --

11/26/14 90.

But Jane SLAMS the door. Sacha stands there for a moment,

STUNNED. Then she turns, quickly heads down the walkway,

scribbling notes. She pauses as she reaches the sidewalk,

finishing up. Two CHILDREN ride past on bikes. She’s VISIBLY

SHAKEN by the encounter.

105 INT. HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT, COURTROOM, SPRINGFIELD, MA - D1A0Y5

Mike watching the Globe’s lawyer, JON ALBANO, 50s, white

beard and moustache, present to JUDGE CONSTANCE SWEENEY, 40s.

JUDGE SWEENEY:

Could you please clarify the Globe’s

position for me, Mr. Albano?

The courtroom’s empty, Garabedian at one desk, WILSON D.

ROGERS JR., 60s, the Church’s lawyer, at another.

ALBANO:

Yes, Judge Sweeney. Our argument to

make these documents public rests

mainly on 1st amendment grounds. We

also have a number of other relevant

arguments. After all, your honor,

this was a discretionary order...

JUDGE SWEENEY:

Yes, Mr. Albano, it was made at the

Judge’s discretion...

Mike FIGHTS TEDIUM... until a REPORTER slides in next to him.

HERALD REPORTER (JOE QUIMBY)

Hey Mike.

MIKE:

Hey Joe.

HERALD REPORTER:

What’s a Spotlight reporter doing in

Springfield?

Mike doesn’t answer.

HERALD REPORTER (CONT’D)

Your man Albano’s sledding uphill.

You really think you have a shot at

winning this thing?

MIKE:

You want me to comment for the

Herald?

11/26/14 91.

QUIMBY:

(writing on his pad)

“Globe reporter would not comment

but did not seem hopeful.”

Mike settles in. Gonna be a long day.

106 INT. GLOBE, SPOTLIGHT OFFICE/ROBBY’S OFFICE - DAY 106

Sacha downloads Robby. We see a large map of Boston on a

desk, neighborhoods circled, writing and Post-its noting

priests and victims.

SACHA:

He didn’t try to hide it at all, he

had this odd rationalization for it.

Like it was normal to fool around

with little boys.

Nearby, we see Matt adding 3x5 victim cards to the wall. On

the wall, 19 OF ROUGHLY 50 PRIESTS have cards. [N.B.: The

priests (and victims) should be grouped by neighborhood].

SACHA (CONT’D)

I’d really like to go back. I think

he’d talk to us.

ROBBY:

We will. Just not yet... Let’s

stay focused on victims right now.

MATT:

Sacha, where’d they send Father

Talbot again?

SACHA:

I think it was Cheverus? MATT

Yeah, that’s right.

ROBBY:

Father Talbot? From BC High?

SACHA:

Yeah. You know him?

ROBBY:

He was there when I was. We have a

victim?

MATT:

Yeah. He lives in Providence.

Matt hands him the card. Robby stares down at the name.

11/26/14 92.

108 INT. HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT, COURTROOM - DAY 108

Mike is still listing.

ALBANO:

There’s nothing personal in these

documents, your honor, they concern

how the Cardinal is handling--

JUDGE SWEENEY:

Say the Archdiocese.

ALBANO:

Er, excuse me?

JUDGE SWEENEY:

You don’t get to tag the Cardinal

with everything, Mr. Albano. Say

the Archdiocese.

Albano looks flustered.

WILSON D. ROGERS JR.

Judge Sweeney, the Globe isn’t a

party to this case, they just want

to sell papers. If Mr. Garabedian

hadn’t smeared the Cardinal’s good

name, we wouldn’t even be here.

GARABEDIAN:

Your honor, I object to the use of

the word smear.

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