Strangers on a Train Page #16

GUY:

(awkwardly)

Well, why do you ask me? You've

seen her pictures in the paper.

ANNE:

Go on, I want you to tell me.

GUY:

(haltingly)

Well, she was dark, not too tall,

rather pretty -

ANNE:

What else?

GUY:

What else is there?

ANNE:

She wore glasses, didn't she?

GUY:

Yes.

ANNE:

She looked a lot like Barbara, didn't

she?

Guy suddenly begins to realize what Anne is getting at.

Anne lowers her head, deliberately avoids looking at Guy, as

she asks:

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ANNE:

How did you get him to do it, Guy.

GUY:

I get him to do it?

ANNE:

He killed Miriam, didn't he? Tell

me, Guy!

GUY:

Yes.

(suddenly bursting

out)

He's a maniac. I met him on the

train going to Metcalf. He had a

crazy scheme about exchanging murders.

I do his murder and he do mine.

ANNE:

(quietly)

What do you mean --your murder,

Guy?

GUY:

Well, he'd read about me in the paper.

He knew about Miriam -- and about

you. He suggested that if he got

rid of Miriam for me, I should kill

his father.

ANNE:

You must have realized he was talking

a lot of nonsense!

GUY:

Of course! I didn't give it another

thought. And now a lunatic wants me

to kill his father.

ANNE:

(beginning to believe)

It's too fantastic!

GUY:

(grimly)

Yes, isn't it?

ANNE:

You mean you've known about Miriam

all this time?

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GUY:

Since the first night. He gave me

her glasses.

ANNE:

Why didn't you call the police?

GUY:

(bitterly)

And have them say what you did -"

Mr. Haines, how did you get him to

do it?" And Bruno would say we'd

planed it together.

ANNE:

Oh, Guy -- what can we do?

GUY:

I don't know, Anne...I don't know.

ANNE:

(With an anxious look

across the street)

Guy, hadn't we better go inside?

Your friend Hennessy's watching us.

(she Shudders)

GUY:

(sadly)

You see, Anne, that's why I didn't

want you to know anything about this.

I wanted to protect all of you -your

father, Barbara. And now that

you know, you're acting guilty, too.

ANNE:

(desperately)

Oh, if we could only talk to father

or someone about it.

GUY:

No, that's no good, Anne. I mustn't

drag anyone else into this mess.

Come on. Let's go in.

They go toward the house.

CUT TO:

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TWO SHOT ACROSS THE STREET

As Hennessy watches Anne and Guy go toward the house, his

relief, HAMMOND, comes up. Hammond's a zealous, hard-eyed

sleuth.

HENNESSY:

(a little glum)

Hello, Hammond.

HAMMOND:

You look worried. What's the matter?

HENNESSY:

You'd better keep on your toes.

Something funny's going on.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. GUY'S APARTMENT LATER THAT NIGHT

Still in his dinner clothes, Guy is seated in deep thought

near the telephone, wrestling with his problem. There is an

open telephone directory in front of him. He comes to a

decision, picks up the telephone and dials a number. He

waits for the answer, then:

GUY:

Bruno? Yes, yes, it's Guy...I've

decided to do what you want. I'll

make that little visit to father....

(listens a moment)

Tonight.

(listens another moment)

Yes, I want to get this thing over

with, can you leave the house again,

Bruno?

(pause)

You'd better stay out till daylight.

Guy hangs up, rises and starts to move with purpose for his

night's activities.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. GUY'S APARTMENT NIGHT

Guy is sitting at the table. He is dressed differently,

having changed from his dinner clothes to a sack suit. There

is only one lamp lighted in the room. Guy presents a grim

picture.

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He is studying the plan of Bruno's house, and he picks up

the key Bruno sent along with it. Finally he looks at his

watch, then folds the plan and puts it in his pocket with

the key. He rises, crosses to the chest of drawers, opens

the top drawer.

INSERT:
THE OPEN DRAWER

Guy's hands take out the Luger. His hand then picks up

Miriam's glasses from the drawer, holds them a moment. He

is about to put them back, then decides to take them along,

puts them into his pocket.

MED. SHOT

CAMERA PANS GUY across to the window. He parts the curtains

slightly and looks out.

MED. SHOT ON STREET (FROM GUY'S VIEWPOINT)

Hammond is lighting a cigarette as he strolls in front of

the house.

INT. GUY'S APARTMENT

Guy crosses to his door, which he opens surreptitiously.

MED. SHOT CORRIDOR

Guy glances down the stairs, then closes the door behind him

quietly and moves away to a window at the turn of the stairs.

EXT. FIRE ESCAPE

Guy comes out of the window onto the second floor fire escape.

He creeps stealthily down and emerges into a narrow alleyway.

He steps back into the shadows for a moment when he sees:

LONG SHOT FROM GUY'S VIEWPOINT (PROCESS)

The strolling figure of Hammond on the far side of the street.

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MED. SHOT

Guy turns away and is soon lost in the darkness of the street.

LAP DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. A TALL PAIR OF ELABORATE IRON GATES NIGHT

We are on the inside of the gates. We see them swing open

slightly and the figure of Guy edges through them.

CLOSE SHOT:

Guy leaves the gates ajar and then, taking the plan of Bruno's

house from his pocket, and the key, he looks toward the house.

EXT. STEPS LONG SHOT NIGHT

This is a long flight of steps. Moonlit. They are lined

with tall black cypress trees which throw their shadows across

the steps. Guy moves out of one shadow, into another and

carefully starts up the stairs.

AT THE DOOR:

He pauses, looks about for a moment and listens. Then he

puts the key into the lock, finding it with his flashlight.

The door opens a few inches. He turns off the flash, and

enters.

INT. ANTONY HOME ENTRANCE HALL

As Guy moves in soundlessly and closes the door. He looks

toward the stairs which are in shadow.

MED. SHOT

Guy starts up the stairs slowly. He carries his flashlight

and the plan.

AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS THE DOG

A huge shadow lies it the head of the stairs. As Guy comes

slowly up the stairs, the Great Dane looks down at him.

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GUY ON THE STAIRS

He reacts to the sight of the dog, stops an instant, and

turn on his flashlight. The heavy massive face of the dog

looks straight down at him. Guy turns off the flashlight

and after a moment of indecision starts slowly up the stairs

once more, the dog watching every step he takes.

UPPER HALLWAY:

Guy comes up the last few stairs and still the dog hasn't

moved. Guy slowly edges past him and the Great Dane's head

turns to watch him.

GUY:

moving quietly along the hallway, approaches two doors. He

takes out his flash and identifies the door with his plan.

INSERT:

The plan shows two doors in relation to the stairway. The

first one is clearly marked: "MY room." The adjoining door

is marked:
"My FATHER'S room."

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