The Coroner Page #5

DAVEY:

Your call. Although you could get him round for dinner. Invite me. I’ll

make sure he knows not to mess her around.

CLINT:

Good idea. Could ask him some questions about Steve while he’s there.

Casual like. Over dessert…

JANE:

Absolutely no way. Now can we stop discussing my daughter and

concentrate on the case?

CLINT:

You brought it up.

[JANE GLARES. HE ZIPS HIS MOUTH. JANE EYES

DAVEY – WELL?]

DAVEY:

Steve’s doctor said he’d started group counselling. Kept it quiet. Didn’t

even tell his parents. I tried to talk to his counsellor, see if he had any mates

there but he’s keeping schtumm. Apparently, Steve quit last month. Oh.

And tox results show he wasn’t taking his meds.

[JANE LOOKS THOUGHTFUL]

CLINT:

Ooh, well there you go then. If he was off his meds he’d be on a right

downer.

DAVEY:

Exactly. Sounds like suicide to me, Calamity. (EYES THE PHOTO OF

STEVE AND THE GIRL) We need to find her.

[JANE LEANS IN TO DAVEY]

JANE:

(LOW) Actually… what are you doing tonight?

CUT TO:

EP. 1/SC.23 INT. SOPHIE’S HOUSE. KITCHEN. DAY 4. 17.50

SOPHIE, PHILLIP

[PHILLIP WITH SOPHIE – SHE’S UPSET, HE’S TRYING

TO BE GENTLE]

PHILLIP:

It’s times like this I actually miss your mother. (SITS NEXT TO HER)

Maybe it was a lucky escape. If he did something like that he’s hardly the

right person to look after my precious daughter. And you do need looking

after.

[HE PUTS A PILL ONTO A TABLE NEXT TO HER]

SOPHIE:

No…

PHILLIP:

It’s for the best. And then it’ll all be over. (BEAT) Trust me.

[HE HOLDS OUT A GLASS OF WATER. SOPHIE

TAKES IN HIS EAGERNESS. FEELS UNEASY]

PHILLIP:

(HOLDS OUT WATER, FORCES A SMILE) C’mon, Sophie…

[SHE TAKES IN THE GRAZE ON HIS RIGHT HAND.

LOOKS AT HIM. SHAKES HER HEAD]

PHILLIP:

Just take the bloody tablet! Take it!

[SOPHIE TAKES IT. SWALLOWS. PHILLIP

BREATHES OUT. SMILES]

PHILLIP:

Good girl. Now. Get some rest.

[HE KISSES HER HEAD. SOPHIE FLINCHES. HE

EXITS, SHE SPITS OUT THE PILL]

CUT TO:

EP. 1/SC.24 INT. MORTUARY. DAY 4. 15.45

JANE, STEVE

[JANE WITH STEVE. HIS BODY CLEANED UP, ANY

GRUESOMENESS COVERED. A FOLDER IN HER

HAND, SHE READS THROUGH IT, CONSIDERS HIM]

JANE:

Let’s say you’d had an argument with your girlfriend. You got drunk. You

were already depressed, now you feel terrible. Hopeless. You text your

mum – you can’t take it anymore. Go somewhere no-one’ll find you. ‘Til

it’s too late. Somewhere out of the way. Gora Point Lookout. You throw

your phone off over the cliff, break in and…

[SHE FREEZES, AS IT HITS HER]

JANE:

Why didn’t you jump off the cliff? Why break in?

[SHE STARES AT HIM]

JANE:

Because it’s out of the way and no-one would see you! You were meeting

someone!

CUT TO:

EP. 1/SC.25 INT. JUDITH’S HOUSE. KITCHEN. DAY 4. 19.20

BETH, MATT, JANE, DAVEY

[MATT WAITS ALONE NERVOUSLY. SEES THE

LIGHTHAVEN STAR OPEN, AN ARTICLE ABOUT

STEVE, A PHOTO…]

JANE (O.S.)

Sorry.

[MATT JUMPS. JANE PUTS THE PAPER AWAY.

SMILES AT MATT]

MATT:

How is it all… You know?

JANE:

Trying to find Steve’s girlfriend. Don’t even know her name. Do you…?

[MATT SHAKES HIS HEAD. JANE STUDIES HIM.

THOUGHTFUL]

JANE:

Matt, do you know anyone who’d. Who’d want to hurt him?

MATT:

(THROWN) I thought he jumped?

JANE:

We don’t know that for sure.

[MATT LOOKS SHOCKED. BETH ENTERS]

BETH:

No talking about work. You promised. (JOINS MATT) This is meant to

be about us… getting to know each other. Stop you freaking out.

JANE:

Excuse me, I don’t (freak out).

[BETH EYEBALLS HER. CHANGES THE

CONVERSATION]

BETH:

Matt’s going to study marine biology.

MATT:

If I get the grades.

BETH:

Yeah, right. (TO JANE) He’s an A star student.

[MATT GIVES A SHY SMILES. JANE IMPRESSED]

BETH:

Going to Plymouth. Best course in the country.

JANE:

Did Beth tell you she wants to be a forensic pathologist? Obsessed with

death. Obsessed! Tries to gate crash all my post mortems. (LAUGHS,

THEN REALISES) Not Steve’s obviously. I didn’t mean…

[BETH CLOSES HER EYES, SHAKES HER HEAD.

DAVEY KNOCKS, ENTERS WITH SOME WINE]

DAVEY:

Room for one more?

[BETH FROWNS – WHY’S HE HERE?]

MATT:

Oh. (EYES JANE AND DAVEY) I didn’t realise you were together.

[FOLLOWING DIALOGUE FAST, OVERLAPPING]

JANE:
DAVEY:

We’re not. We’re not.

DAVEY:

I’m married.

JANE:

To someone else.

DAVEY:

Not to Jane.

JANE:

Obviously.

DAVEY:

Right.

JANE:

He’s just a -

TOGETHER:

Friend of the family.

[BETH EYES MATT. STIFLES A GRIN]

JANE:

(EMBARRASSED) I’ll check the lasagne.

DAVEY:

(ALSO EMBARRASSED) I’ll get this wine open.

[JANE OPENS THE OVEN DOOR, BLACK SMOKE

BILLOWS OUT. THE SMOKE ALARM GOES OFF]

JANE:

Oh God! Beth I asked you to turn it down! Will you get that thing off!

[DAVEY GRABS A TEA TOWEL, WAFTS IT AROUND.

BETH JUMPS ON HE TABLE UNDER THE ALARM]

BETH:

(TURNS IT OFF) You said turn it up!

JANE:

Off, Beth. Off! (PULLS OUT THE LASAGNE) It’s ruined.

DAVEY:

Just cut the burned bits off.

[JANE HOLDS IT UP, TOTALLY BLACK. TURNS IT

UPSIDE DOWN. IT STAYS IN THE TIN]

DAVEY:

Got a chisel in my car.

[JANE PUTS IT DOWN]

BETH:

Fish and chips?

[JANE SIGHS, HANDS BETH A TWENTY]

MATT:

I’m sorry. I’m sure it would have been lovely.

[BETH GRINS, GRABS MATT’S HAND. THEY EXIT.

JANE POURS HERSELF A LARGE GLASS OF WINE.

DAVEY AND JANE SUDDENLY HYPER AWARE

THEY’RE ALONE]

DAVEY:

I don’t know why he thought we were….

JANE:

I know. (SCOFFS) Ridiculous. As if.

DAVEY:

Stupid.

[SILENCE. BOTH UNCOMFORTABLE. NEITHER CAN

STAND IT]

DAVEY:

(QUICK) Y’know, I think I might go down the Dog.

JANE:

(QUICK) Yeah. I better... (GRABS THE LASAGNE) Chuck this.

[THEY BOTH HEAD TO THE DOOR AT THE SAME

TIME. IT’S EXCRUCIATINGLY AWKWARD. JANE

MOVES BACK AND DAVEY SHOOTS OUT QUICKLY.

OUT ON JANE - WELL THAT WAS A DISASTER!]

CUT TO:

EP. 1/SC.26 EXT. SMALL HALL, LIGHTHAVEN. DAY 5. 10.52

JANE, CLINT

GROUP COUNSELLING MEMBERS

[JANE PULLS UP NEAR TO A SMALL HALL. A

MOTLEY GROUP OF MEN AND WOMEN STAND

OUTSIDE, SMOKING. CLINT BESIDE HER, SCRUFFY]

JANE:

That’ll be the counselling group. You got your story?

CLINT:

I’ve got twenty-six year of parental conflict. I’ll be fine. (BEAT) How’d it

go, last night?

JANE:

Fine. Good. Had a takeaway. (SMILES) I think I actually might approve.

CLINT:

(NODS) Sweet. Right, see you in an hour.

[HE CLIMBS OUT. JOINS THE OTHER’S. CADGES A

LIGHT. JANE PULLS OUT HER BRIEFCASE, GRABS A

FILE. SETTLES DOWN FOR A WAIT]

CUT TO:

EP. 1/SC.27 EXT. BEACH/BOAT. DAY 5. 11.38

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