The Debt Page #19

Rachel is still at the desk reading. Suddenly the main

LIGHTS are switched on and the Receptionist and the

Boyfriend stagger into sight.

Rachel stands frozen, COMPLETELY VISIBLE.

The girl and boyfriend stand kissing, too engrossed in each

other to see the woman standing only ten feet from them.

The Receptionist pulls free, laughing, makes it back to the

entrance and switches the lights off, plunging the room

into darkness.

Rachel moves behind a column.

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Laughing softly, the Boyfriend leads the girl over to a

desk. He opens a drawer, searches through it, triumphantly

produces a PETTY CASH TIN.

BOYFRIEND:

The loot!

He starts to take some cash from the box.

RECEPTIONIST:

(Laughing)

You can’t!

BOYFRIEND:

I’ll put in an i-o-u...

He scribbles on a piece of paper.

BOYFRIEND (CONT’D)

“Andrei borrowed money to take

Katia to Club Oxygen.”

He drops the note in the tin.

RECEPTIONIST:

You’re going to get fired.

He kisses her.

BOYFRIEND:

You’re worth it.

RECEPTIONIST:

You’re going to get me fired!

BOYFRIEND:

(Kissing her)

I’m worth it.

They kiss again, slowly backing up against the desk Rachel

was searching. The two struggle with their clothes.

195

BEHIND THE COLUMN 195

Rachel has no way of reaching the door.

She closes her eyes as the young couple begin to have sex

on the desk.

Then she opens her eyes and notices something...

RACHEL’S P.O.V - CLOSE on her TORCH which is still on the

desk.

The Boyfriend seems to be staring RIGHT AT IT.

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Rachel watches, holding her breath.

ON BOYFRIEND:

...as we realise he is staring STRAIGHT THROUGH the torch,

lost in the moment.

Next moment the couple change positions and some books and

the torch are swept from the desk and clatter to the floor.

The TORCH ROLLS across the carpet to the shadowy entrance

of the cubicle.

BEHIND THE COLUMN

Rachel stares at the torch, wondering if she can reach it

before they can see her. But at the moment the desktop

tryst reaches its noisy conclusion.

AT THE DESK:

The Boyfriend does up his trousers and pulls on his coat.

The Receptionist adjusts her dress. She notices the fallen

items and begins to pick them up, following the trail to

the torch.

BEHIND THE COLUMN

Rachel stands frozen as the Receptionist stoops down

directly IN FRONT OF HER and picks up the torch.

The Boyfriend notices.

BOYFRIEND:

What are you doing?

RECEPTIONIST:

I’m tidying up.

BOYFRIEND:

Are you working? Are you at work

now?

RECEPTIONIST:

(Laughing)

No, I’m not working.

BOYFRIEND:

So leave them.

She drops the objects and follows her Boyfriend out.

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Shaking, Rachel picks up her torch and replaces the items

she is still holding from Yuri’s file into the filing

cabinet.

From OS, we hear the BEEP BEEP BEEP of the alarm being

reset.

Rachel’s heart sinks.

OS, we hear office doors close, and the KEY TURNING in the

lock.

Rachel’s eyes alight on A MOTION SENSOR, blinking in the

corner of the room.

She waits. And eventually - no choice - she runs for the

door.

The motion sensor lights up and the alarm strikes up loudly

with a warning BEEP-BEEP-BEEP.

196

INT. NEWSPAPER OFFICE - LOBBY. CONTINUOUS. 196

Frantic, Rachel dashes to the alarm box, the insistent beep-

beep-beep even louder here. Rachel runs for the door, yanks

it open and bolts out.

Moments later, the alarm CLANGS into action.

196A

EXT. BACK OF BUILDING - NIGHT 196A

Rachel bursts out of a fire exit, the siren blaring and

disappears into the night.

197

EXT. RACHEL’S CAR. KIEV STREET - NIGHT 197

Rachel’s car drives off down the road.

198 INT. CAR. UKRAINIAN ROAD - NIGHT. 198

Rachel has pulled over and is on her cell-phone to Stephan.

RACHEL:

He’s at the BABENKO Hospital.

199

INT. STEPHAN’S OFFICE - NIGHT 199

Stephan is alone, working at his computer. He taps in the

name, searches, clicks on the link to a map.

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STEPHAN (CONT’D)

It’s outside Vinnycja. About a

hundred and fifty miles south

west of you. What name is he

going under?

Rachel checks her notes.

RACHEL (O.S.)

Ivan Schevchuk. He’s the right

age.

STEPHAN:

When is he supposed to interview

him?

200 INT. CAR - NIGHT 200

RACHEL:

Tomorrow.

There’s silence from the other end. Both know what this

means.

STEPHAN (O.S.)

This will be over soon. And when

it is...

Rachel hangs up.

201 EXT. ROAD - MORNING 201

A car drives through the wintry landscape.

202 INT/EXT. HIRE CAR. ROAD - MORNING 202

A forest of fir trees pass as she drives. Rachel’s mind is

elsewhere.

The car drifts to the wrong side, then swerves as she

corrects.

STUDENT (O.S.)

What were you thinking at that

moment?

CUT TO:

203 INT. UNIVERSITY LECTURE HALL. TEL AVIV - EVENING 203

The night before David’s suicide.

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RACHEL is being interviewed by a FEMALE FACULTY MEMBER.

Projected on a screen behind is an image of the young

Rachel, Stephan and David.

The audience consists of mainly female students, hands

raised.

STUDENT:

Did you think you were going to

die?

Rachel seems to consider this carefully, although we know

by now that this is a question she’s been asked thousands

of times and has a carefully rehearsed answer to.

RACHEL:

I’ll tell you something. At thatmoment, when I was on the floor,

I wasn’t thinking about myself atall. I was thinking about my

mother. And what she had suffered

in Europe. I think that was what

gave me the strength to get upagain.

The audience listen, moved. Rachel looks out and then

FREEZES - Older David sits near the back of the room.

LECTURER:

Well, I’m sure you’ll all join mein thanking Ms Singer...

As the audience applaud enthusiastically Rachel smiles,

trying to regain her composure but her eyes are drawn back

to David, standing in the shadows, watching her intently.

204 INT. AUDITORIUM - LATER 204 *

The place is empty now, only David and Rachel sitting in

the seats.

*

*

David looks like a man who’s been up on speed for too long,

eyes strangely bright in his exhausted face.

Neither of them seems to be able to bridge the divide

DAVID:

You look well.

*

*

*

*

*

Rachel ignores this. She’s waiting for an explanation.

RACHEL:

Does Stephan know you’re here?

*

*

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DAVID:

I expect so. (Beat) I read about *

him. How is he? *

RACHEL:

(shrugs) *

The same. Different. Resigned to *

life at a desk. He likes to play *

the tragic hero... *

She stops herself, ashamed. *

RACHEL (CONT’D)

Things became...very bad between *

us. We try to stay civil for *

Sarah. *

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