Spotlight Page #3

great.

BEN:

We covered Geoghan when the story

broke three years ago. Baron was

still in Miami.

ROBBY:

(needling Ben)

I think he was at the Times then.

BEN:

He wasn’t here.

MIKE:

You think the suit has a chance?

11/26/14 14.

ROBBY:

Depends on the judge.

BEN:

And what parish he belongs to.

Ben’s phone RINGS. Ben picks it up.

BEN (CONT’D)

Bradlee. Yeah. Okay.

(hanging up, to Robby)

Baron wants to talk to us.

ROBBY:

Us?

Off Robby, surprised --

18 INT. GLOBE, MARTY’S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER 18

Ben and Robby enter. Marty’s on the phone.

MARTY (INTO PHONE)

Okay, thank you. Yes. Okay, thanks.

Marty hangs up as they sit.

MARTY (CONT’D)

I set up a meeting for tomorrow with

outside counsel...

BEN:

Jon Albano?

MARTY:

Yeah.

BEN:

Who’s the Judge on this case?

MARTY:

Uh, Constance Sweeney.

BEN:

Tough.

MARTY:

Why’s that?

BEN:

Good Catholic girl.

Marty pushes on.

11/26/14 15.

MARTY:

Judging from what I’ve read, it

doesn’t seem like we’ve done a

thorough investigation of the

Geoghan case. Is that right?

BEN:

No it’s not. We looked hard at

Geoghan. David Armstrong for Metro

and Michael Paulson for Religion.

Marty isn’t impressed.

MARTY:

Okay, but, uh, just so I understand,

beyond our daily coverage, we

haven’t committed any long term

investigative resources to the

question of whether or not Cardinal

Law knew about this?

BEN:

No, we haven’t.

MARTY:

(to Robby)

And that’s the kind of thing your

team does?

ROBBY:

Spotlight? Well, yeah, but we’re

still prospecting the Boston PD

story I told you about.

MARTY:

Could you set it aside?

ROBBY:

We could.

BEN:

Marty, in the past, Spotlight has

had success in large part because

they pick their own projects.

MARTY:

Would you consider picking this one?

19 INT. GLOBE, SPOTLIGHT OFFICE - LATER 19

Mike, Sacha, Matt all working. Sacha on the phone.

11/26/14 16.

SACHA (INTO PHONE)

I don’t know if he’s writing about

you but I will let him know you

called. Okay. Bye.

Sacha hangs up as Robby enters.

MIKE:

Hey, how’d it go?

ROBBY:

Okay. Baron wants us to scrub the

Geoghan case.

MIKE:

That’s great. MATTY

Didn’t we cover Geoghan?

ROBBY (CONT’D)

There’s a lawyer alleging Cardinal

Law knew about it.

SACHA:

Mitch Garabedian, right? I covered

him at the courthouse.

ROBBY:

Can you get to him?

SACHA:

I only interviewed him once. He’s

kind of a character.

MIKE:

I like characters. I’ll take him.

ROBBY:

He’s yours. Also, we should talk to

the lawyer who repped the victims in

the Porter case. Eric MacLeish.

MATT:

That guy was always on TV.

SACHA:

The Porter case? Remind me?

MIKE:

Father Porter, similar story,

molested dozens of kids in Fall

River about ten years ago.

MATT:

So we’re dropping the Boston PD?

11/26/14 17.

MIKE:

I vote yes.

ROBBY:

No, we’re just setting it aside for

now. I don’t need to tell you guys,

we need to be more discreet than

usual. Everybody’s gonna be

interested in this, not just the

Herald. I don’t want the Chancery

getting wind of this before we know

what we have.

MATT:

Good luck with that.

They reach for phones and computers, Robby leaves them to it.

20 EXT. SACHA’S GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE, SOUTHIE - NIGHT 20

The quiet street dips down, disappearing into the harbour.

Sacha and Hansi get out of their car, cross the street.

21 INT. SACHA’S GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE, DINING ROOM - NIGHT 21

A cozy dining room. Sacha, her GRANDMOTHER and her husband

HANSI finish dinner. Sacha’s grandmother wears a gold cross.

SACHA:

When are you leaving, Nana?

NANA:

The bus is picking us up in the

church parking lot at nine o’clock.

We have forty people going.

SACHA:

Is Father Dominic going?

NANA:

No. He said, he’s very unlucky. But

luck has nothing to do with it.

Hansi can’t help but smile.

SACHA:

Nana won a hundred and sixty dollars

last time.

HANSI:

Wow.

11/26/14 18.

22 INT. SACHA’S GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE, KITCHEN - NIGHT 22

Hansi and Sacha wash dishes. They talk quietly.

HANSI:

You gonna tell her?

SACHA:

We don’t even know if there’s a

story yet.

HANSI:

“Globe sues church?” There’s gonna

be a story.

Sacha continues rinsing, glances at the small, porcelain

Virgin Mary on the window sill above the sink.

23 INT. GLOBE, LARGE PUBLISHER’S FOYER - DAY 23

Marty ascends a large, open air staircase in the upscale

business side of the building. He steps off, heads down the

hall then stops, looks around. Lost in his own building.

A YOUNG EMPLOYEE walks past.

MARTY:

Excuse me, do you know where the

Publisher’s office is?

The employee points. Marty heads that direction.

24 INT. GLOBE, PUBLISHER’S OFFICE - DAY 24

RICHARD GILMAN, 50s, Brooks Brothers suit, finishes a call.

Marty is sitting on a couch in large, plush office opposite.

GILMAN (INTO PHONE)

Thanks, Tom. Will do.

(hangs up, to Marty)

How are you, Marty? Settling in?

MARTY:

Yes, I think so.

GILMAN:

Good. What can I do for you?

MARTY:

I’d like to challenge the protective

order in the Geoghan case.

GILMAN:

You want to sue the Catholic Church?

11/26/14 19.

MARTY:

We’re just filing a motion. But yes.

GILMAN:

You think it’s that important?

MARTY:

Yes. I do.

GILMAN:

Because, obviously, the Church will

fight us very hard on this. Which

won’t go unnoticed by our subscriber

base. 53% of them are Catholic.

MARTY:

Uh, I think they’ll be interested.

Gilman considers for a long moment, looks unsettled.

GILMAN:

Okay.

Marty nods, gets up to go.

GILMAN (CONT’D)

Marty? Lake Street will probably

contact you about a face to face

with the Cardinal. It’s customary.

MARTY:

They already have. It’s set up for

next week.

GILMAN:

I wouldn’t mention this.

24A INT. GLOBE - DAY 24A

Matt walks down a row of cubicles, disappears down a spiral

staircase.

24B INT. BOSTON GLOBE LIBRARY - CONTINUOUS 24B

Matt descends the staircase and arrives at the front desk.

MATT:

Hey Lisa. Could you pull all the

relevant clips on that for me?

He hands her a sheet of paper. She looks at it. Reacts.

LISA:

Yeah. This is for Spotlight?

11/26/14 20.

MATT:

Just drop them off when they’re

ready, thanks.

Matt walks off.

25 INT. MITCHELL GARABEDIAN’S OFFICE - DAY 25

Mike steps off an elevator and into a DUMP of an office. He

eyes a small reception desk covered with FILE BOXES.

MIKE:

Hello. Hello?

Mike peeks through an open door... a small office, crammed

FLOOR TO CEILING with BOXES, each with GEOGHAN written on it.

PARALEGAL:

Can I help you?

Mike turns. A PARALEGAL pokes her head out of a cubicle.

MIKE:

Oh. Hi. I’m Mike Rezendes from the

Boston Globe. I’m here to see

Mitchell Garabedian.

PARALEGAL:

He’s on a call. Please have a seat.

Mike grabs a seat, checks his watch. He hears YELLING coming

from behind a closed door. Garabedian?

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