The Missing Page #6

EMILY (CONT’D)

Tony, slow down... what... what are

you saying?

As she listens, the colour drains from Emily’s face.

41 EXT. COMMISSARIAT - NIGHT A-1(2006) 41

The red and cream exterior of the Police Nationale building.

A tall iron fence runs along the front, a locked gate in the

middle. At night, it has an almost forbidding appearance.

42 INT. COMMISSARIAT. MAIN OFFICE - NIGHT A-1(2006) 42

Inside, though, the atmosphere is anything but. There’s a

big screen in the main office, and a crowd of officers and

support staff have gathered to watch the match.

On-screen, Ronaldinho has fallen to the ground in the box,

to the jeering dismay of those watching. Amidst the shouting

we pick out a man in his late thirties standing at the back,

MONSIEUR ZIANE - louder than the others.

ZIANE ZIANE:

(French)

Get up, you faker!

Arr.te ton cin.ma !

(CONTINUED)

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42 CONTINUED:
42

A nearby phone starts ringing. Ziane picks it up. He’s

finding it hard to hear over the noise.

ZIANE (CONT'D)ZIANE (CONT'D)

(French)Quoi? Quoi

What? What? (to the other policemen)

(to the other policemen)Les gars, baisser le son

Guys, turn it down...

One of the policemen turns it down. Ziane nods. And sighs.

ZIANE (CONT'D)ZIANE (CONT'D)

(French)Tr.s bien, on est en chemin.

Fine. On our way.

He hangs up. With a longing look at the match on TV, Ziane

nods at the other policemen to join and starts to head out

the door.

43 INT. HOTEL L’EDEN. ROOM 7 - NIGHT A-1 (2006) 43

The door opens and TONY enters. Flicks on the light. Moments

later, EMILY follows. They both look exhausted and numb.

Emily sinks onto the bed. Tony sits on a chair near the

window.

TONY:

What’s the time?

Emily glances at the clock.

EMILY:

Three.

TONY:

We should get some sleep.

Emily nods. Neither show any inclination to do so.

FLASH TO:

43A EXT. STREET - NIGHT A-1(2006) 43A

Uniformed POLICEMEN with torches emerge through a children’s

play area, through some trees and out onto a road. They’re

led by barking dogs.

44 EXT. OPEN AIR SWIMMING POOL - NIGHT A-1(2006) 44

The pool area is now swarming with police. A dog team are

getting a dog to sniff Oliver’s discarded towel. The big

screen is off, and ZIANE is marshalling the investigation.

As a member of the crowd, bored, starts to slip away, Ziane

shouts at a uniformed cop -

(CONTINUED)

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44 CONTINUED:
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ZIANE ZIANE:

(French)H.. Rattrapez-le.

Hey. Get them back. (raising his voice)

(raising his voice)Personne ne se tire. Pas

No-one leaves. Not until we avant qu’on ait parl. . tout

have spoken to everybody. le monde

In the middle of the chaos, EMILY sits crying hysterically,

TONY with his arm around her. Both on a bench outside the

pool. All they can hear is people speaking in French around

them - dozens of conversations in a different language

overlapping and blending into a sea of noise. They feel more

alienated and isolated than ever.

A POLICEMAN approaches them.

POLICEMAN POLICEMAN

(French)Vous devez nous suivre au

We’d like you to come back to commissariat.

the station with us.

Tony and Emily look at one another - confused,

uncomprehending.

TONY:

I don’t... we don’t understand...

POLICEMAN POLICEMAN

(French, insistent)Nous aimerions que vous

You must come to the station veniez au commissariat.

with us.

EMILY:

We don’t know what you mean, what

are you saying?

A more experienced uniformed officer, LAURENCE, has spotted

this, sees the distress it’s causing Tony and Emily, and

comes over.

LAURENCE:

He is asking if you would come to

the station.

EMILY:

(relieved)

You speak English.

TONY:

Can you tell us what’s happening?

EMILY:

No-one’s speaking to us...

TONY:

That detective...

(nodding at Ziane)

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

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44 CONTINUED:
(2) 44

TONY (CONT'D)

He asked us a couple of questions

then just walked off and left us.

What’s going on, what’s he doing to

get our boy back?

LAURENCE:

I will drive you to the station

myself. And on the way I can tell

you everything I know.

Tony and Emily smile at Laurence gratefully, and get to

their feet, dazed, unable to believe what’s happening.

SNAP BACK TO:

45 INT. HOTEL L’EDEN. ROOM 7 - NIGHT A-1(2006) 45

The deathly-quiet hotel room. Back with TONY and EMILY. A

long silence.

EMILY:

I keep thinking... The last thing

he said to me...

TONY:

You know he didn’t mean it.

EMILY:

All because I couldn’t take half an

hour to come swimming. And now he

could be out there, anywhere...

She lapses back into silence.

FLASH TO:

46 INT. COMMISSARIAT. MAIN OFFICE - NIGHT A-1 (2006) 46

TONY and EMILY are sat in the busy office, clutching one

another’s hand. They watch as ZIANE chats earnestly with a

patrician man in his sixties - GEORGES. After a moment,

Georges walks towards them.

GEORGES:

Mr and Mrs Hughes, I am Georges

Deloix. I am the juge d’instruction

assigned to this case. I assure

you, my men are doing everything in

their power to find your boy.

TONY:

Can you tell us what...

GEORGES:

(not listening)

You are in excellent hands.

(CONTINUED)

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And he walks away, leaving Emily and Tony more confused and

frustrated than ever. LAURENCE approaches with two cups of

coffee in styrofoam cups. She hands them one each.

LAURENCE:

I thought you might like a drink.

The machine here is...

She pulls a face. Emily and Tony take the coffee gratefully.

EMILY:

Thank you.

TONY:

Who was he?

LAURENCE:

The juge d’instruction. The

investigating judge. Not a judge

like you have in England. He is in

charge of the situation for now.

ZIANE strides up to them.

ZIANE:

Photo. I need a photo of your son.

TONY:

Why? What’s going on?

LAURENCE LAURENCE

(French; to Ziane)Tu lances une alerte ?

You’re issuing an alert?

Ziane nods. Laurence turns to Emily and Tony.

LAURENCE (CONT’D)

They are issuing an alerte

enlevement. This is the abduction

alert.

Emily lets out a guttural sob.

EMILY:

No. It can’t...

TONY:

You’ve looked everywhere? He

could’ve just run off, got lost...

ZIANE:

We must move quickly. I need a

photograph.

EMILY:

Oliver...

She’s crying hard now.

(CONTINUED)

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LAURENCE:

This alert will show his photograph

on screens everywhere. Television

stations, radio stations, highways,

the SNCF...

ZIANE:

(sharply)

Merci, Agent Relaud.

Laurence nods, slightly embarrassed at the rebuke, and turns

to leave. Spotting this

EMILY:

We’d like her to stay.

ZIANE:

Mrs Hughes, Agent Relaud is not a

detective...

TONY:

She stays.

ZIANE:

As you wish.

Tony is trying his hardest to keep it together as he hands

Ziane his mobile phone.

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