The Grudge Page #9

Nakagawa and Igarashi enter the kitchen. In perfect English:

NAKAGAWA:

I am Detective Nakagawa. This is

Detective Igarashi, my assistant.

ALEX:

Is Karen okay?

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 42.

NAKAGAWA:

She is very shaken. We would like

her to stay in the hospital

tonight, under evaluation.

He hands Alex a wedding picture of MATTHEW AND JENNIFER.

NAKAGAWA:

Do you know these people?

ALEX:

Matthew Williams, and his wife

Jennifer. He’s Emma’s son, the

woman Karen came here to see.

NAKAGAWA:

When was the last time you saw him?

ALEX:

I met them when they came to

register. It’s standard procedure,

though the visits were arranged by

his employer. He works at -

NAKAGAWA:

We’ve spoken with his employer. He

did not show up for work today.

Something about this gives Alex pause. Nakagawa speaks

briefly to Igarashi in Japanese, then hands Alex a card.

NAKAGAWA:

If you could please come by

tomorrow to make a statement, the

address is there, at the bottom --

ALEX:

(realizing)

Yoko.

NAKAGAWA:

I’m sorry?

ALEX:

Karen was a substitute -- Yoko is

the girl who is normally in charge

of Emma. She’s also been missing

from work.

NAKAGAWA:

For how long?

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 42aA.

ALEX:

For the last two days.

Nakagawa and Igarashi exchange a look.

ALEX:

I think I saw her bike outside.

Nakagawa heads for the front door as Igarashi continues to

interview Alex.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 42A.

70

EXT. THE HOUSE - NIGHT 70

Nakagawa stands outside by the front gate, looking at -

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 43.

-- YOKO’S BICYCLE. He looks down at it, frowning.

Then he suddenly c*cks his head. As if sensing something.

He turns to look up at A WINDOW ON THE SECOND FLOOR.

It’s empty.

71 INT. THE HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT 71

Igarashi stands by the ANSWERING MACHINE. The message

counter reads ‘1’. He presses PLAY.

SUSAN’S MESSAGE replays, and he listens carefully. As it

ends, he turns to see NAKAGAWA standing in the doorway.

IGARASHI (IN JAPANESE)

That’s Matthew’s sister.

He shows Nakagawa a PHOTO of Matthew and Susan, brother and

sister, grinning at the camera.

IGARASHI (IN JAPANESE)

This must be her.

The look on Nakagawa’s face is grave.

NAKAGAWA (IN JAPANESE)

Call her at work, then at home. If

no one answers, send someone to -

He trails off, looking down at ---

the PHONE BASE. The cordless phone is missing.

Nakagawa reaches down, pressing the ‘LOCATE’ button.

A distant BEEPING SOUND can be heard.

Everyone in the room stops what they’re doing. They listen.

72 INT. THE HOUSE - ENTRANCE - NIGHT 72

Nakagawa and Igarashi enter from the hallway, followed by

their men. They look up to the second floor.

The BEEPING is definitely coming from upstairs.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 44.

73 INT. THE HOUSE - REAR ROOM - NIGHT

73

Nakagawa and Igarashi come upstairs, their men following

close behind.

They pause in the hallway for a moment. Then Nakagawa walks

into the rear room (Matthew’s office). The BEEPING is close.

He stands there, in the center of the room, listening.

Then he looks up, at the ceiling. Everyone follows suit.

Nakagawa turns to the CLOSED CLOSET DOORS.

74

INT. CLOSET - NIGHT 74

He quickly pulls open the door. The closet is empty.

Nakagawa looks up, peering into the darkness.

HIS POV:
the ATTIC PANEL yawns wide open.

And right next to it are FOUR LONG GROOVES in the ceiling.

As if something was dragged across it, right to the edge.

Something like fingernails.

Nakagawa leans out, looking at Igarashi.

NAKAGAWA (IN JAPANESE)

I need your flashlight.

75

INT. ATTIC - NIGHT 75

A shaft of light from the flashlight through the open attic

access cuts through the thick darkness.

Nakagawa appears, pulling himself up into the attic. He

swings his flashlight slowly around the room.

Igarashi comes up next to Nakagawa just as the Detective’s

flashlight stops on something.

A beat as they exchange an uneasy look.

Then Nakagawa and Igarashi crawl through the darkness towards

the far corner of the space.

Two bodies are tucked into the corner. MATTHEW AND JENNIFER.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 45.

IGARASHI (IN JAPANESE)

God!

Nakagawa sits in front of the bodies, examining them.

IGARASHI (IN JAPANESE)

What the hell... what is going on?

Nakagawa sees the beeping CORDLESS PHONE a few feet away.

SOMETHING next to it attracts Nakagawa’s interest. We can’t

see what it is, but there’s some DEEP RED in it, and

something very WHITE -

IGARASHI (IN JAPANESE)

What is that?

-- Nakagawa’s eyes widen as he realizes what he’s looking at.

76 EXT. THE HOUSE - NIGHT 76

The POLICE CARS outside have attracted a small crowd. The

TWO BODIES are being loaded into a POLICE VAN.

Nakagawa stands with THE CORONER. The CORONER’S ASSISTANT,

wearing a face mask and rubber gloves, approaches. He holds

something small, wrapped in a bloody white sheet.

The Coroner slowly unfolds the sheet. We can’t see what he’s

looking at -- but it elicits quite a reaction.

CORONER (IN JAPANESE)

Who does this belong to?

NAKAGAWA (IN JAPANESE)

We don’t know.

The Coroner quickly re-covers the object.

CORONER (IN JAPANESE)

I can use the blood to help

identify the person.

As the Coroner and his assistant walk away:

NAKAGAWA (IN JAPANESE)

Is it possible that someone could

live without... that?

The Coroner turns back, his face pale.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 45A.

CORONER (IN JAPANESE)

I certainly hope not.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 46.

Nakagawa turns away to see Igarashi approaching, talking into

a cell phone. He looks disturbed. As he hangs up:

IGARASHI (IN JAPANESE)

Someone just reported another

death. It’s not in our district...

but I think we should check it out.

Nakagawa realizes something’s troubling his partner.

NAKAGAWA (IN JAPANESE)

Why?

IGARASHI (IN JAPANESE)

The cause of death is not clear...

but it is the man who sold them

this house.

77 EXT. TOKYO STREET - DAY 77

CLOSE ON the spinning wheels of a bicycle. A familiar one.

The pedals are being pumped by a beautiful young Japanese

woman -- this is YOKO (early 20s).

Yoko turns, riding down a small side street. It ends, and

she rounds a corner stopping in front of -

77a EXT. THE HOUSE - DAY 77a

Yoko opens the gate and walks her bike to the front door,

leaning it against the wall nearby (exactly where we saw

Matthew bump into it earlier).

She rings the door buzzer. Waits. She seems to have

expected this:
she pulls a KEY from her pocket, with a

plastic LABEL on it.

78 INT. THE HOUSE - ENTRANCE - DAY 78

Yoko steps inside. She instinctively slips off her shoes.

She calls out, in decent English:

YOKO:

Hi, excuse me?

There’s a small ENVELOPE with YOKO’S NAME resting on a small

table by the door. She takes it, opens it.

Revisions (Blue) -- 1/26/04 46A.

THE LETTER says, simply: “Out for a walk, back later.”

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