The Missing Page #9

The alerte enlevement comes on loudly on the radio. Annoyed

at the irritating noise - he turns the volume down.

TAXI DRIVER (CONT’D)

(to Robert and Penny)

This is a boy, gone missing... They

look for him. He is off playing I

think.

(annoyed)

And some of us have jobs still,

hein?

He sounds the horn again. Robert grits his teeth, angry, but

Penny squeezes his hand - keep calm.

61 EXT. HOTEL L’EDEN - DAY A-2(2006) 61

A small group of press have gathered, some with cameras,

some with digital recorders, a few TV crews.

(CONTINUED)

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61 CONTINUED:
61

There’s a relaxed air here - some are leaning against a

nearby wall, some are drinking coffee, some smoking. We

recognise MALICK stood amongst them.

Then, movement - they scrabble to train their cameras on the

hotel as a taxi pulls up and ROBERT and PENNY get out. They

hurry into the hotel, hating the attention.

62 INT. HOTEL L’EDEN. RECEPTION - DAY A-2(2006) 62

Inside, EMILY and TONY are waiting, looking exhausted.

EMILY:

Mum...

She crumples into tears as she hugs her mum - and Robert

joins in too. Tony stands on the fringes, awkward. When the

family break their hug

TONY:

Thanks for coming.

ROBERT:

Tony, I’m... I don’t know what to

say.

The two men hug.

PENNY:

There were police everywhere...

TONY:

They’ve sent in this detective from

Paris, Monsieur Baptiste...

SYLVIE and ALAIN walk through from next door. Spotting them

EMILY:

Sylvie, Alain, these are my

parents, Robert and Penny...

SYLVIE:

My thoughts are with you.

EMILY:

Sylvie’s been very kind and said we

can stay as long as we like.

SYLVIE:

And of course, no charge...

TONY:

We can’t ask you to do that...

(CONTINUED)

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SYLVIE:

We have a daughter. Thirty three

and married and drives one of those

big cars, more like tanks... still,

I worry about her.

(beat)

You’ll stay for free. I insist.

She glances at Alain - the kind of look that doesn’t invite

any argument.

ALAIN:

Oui. Yes, of course.

EMILY:

Thank you, both of you.

SYLVIE:

Please, your room is not quite

ready...

TONY:

You can wait in ours.

63 INT. HOTEL L’EDEN. ROOM 7 - DAY A-2(2006) 63

TONY, SYLVIE, EMILY and ROBERT are squeezed into the small

room. Robert glances out the window, out at the press pack.

ROBERT:

Press don’t waste any time, do

they?

PENNY:

It’s all over the papers back home.

TONY:

Good. It’s good that his photo is

seen by as many people as possible.

Emily nods. There’s a silence. The whole situation - his

missing grandson and seeing his daughter this distraught -

is getting Robert agitated.

ROBERT:

Do they have any leads? Any idea of

what might have happened?

TONY:

No-one’s telling us anything.

Emily leans her head on Penny, utterly distraught. Sensing

Emily doesn’t want to go over it all again Robert turns to

Tony -

(CONTINUED)

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ROBERT:

Is there somewhere I can smoke?

Tony nods and leads him outside.

64 EXT. HOTEL L’EDEN. COURTYARD - DAY A-2(2006) 64

Garden is an overstatement - this is a small, functional

courtyard, a few scrappy pot-plants scattered about and an

old, rusty bike in the corner. ROBERT stands with TONY and

lights up a cigar.

ROBERT:

So?

TONY:

They asked a lot of questions. Then

the man from Paris, Detective

Baptiste, he asked them all again.

And some new ones.

ROBERT:

And he’s police judiciaire?

TONY:

I think so.

ROBERT:

(nodding)

I’ve got a colleague at chambers,

does a lot of international work,

he’s heard of Baptiste - we’re in

good hands.

Tony nods. Robert’s trying to be reassuring, to sound

confident, but it’s not working.

TONY:

He said Ollie could have run off

and got lost... but it wasn’t

likely.

ROBERT:

What is likely?

A look between the two men. They know full well about the

possibilities here.

TONY:

He thinks he could still be alive.

He thinks we’d have found him

already if...

He’s going to say if he was dead, but he can’t bring himself

to say it.

(CONTINUED)

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ROBERT:

Cases like this... I see it all the

time, at court - it’s very often

someone you know. Someone with a

grudge. You don’t think... after

what we did?

A moment - then Tony gets his meaning.

TONY:

No. Of course not. That was a long

time ago.

ROBERT:

Not that long.

Tony shakes his head, refusing to believe it.

TONY:

We should get back inside.

65 INT. COMMISSARIAT. JULIEN’S OFFICE - DAY A-2 (2006) 65

The place is a whirlwind of activity. In the centre of it

all, calm and thoughtful, is JULIEN. Talking to another

detective. Nearby, ZIANE is working away.

JULIEN JULIEN:

(French)Ces barrages routiers ici et

These roadblocks here and l., on peut les lever. On va

here can be disbanded. We concentrer nos ressources .

will focus resources on the la fronti.re, pour que le

border - keep the boy in gamin reste en France, puis

France, then close the net. on resserrera le filet.

The detective goes and Julien returns to looking at some

files in front of him. We see Ziane get a text message. When

he reads the text he looks shocked. After a moment, Julien

looks over at LAURENCE.

JULIEN (CONT'D)JULIEN (CONT'D)

(French)Agent Relaud.

Agent Relaud.

Laurence, delighted to be called over, heads over to Julien.

Who is looking very grave.

JULIEN (CONT'D)JULIEN (CONT'D)

(French)Trouve-moi cet homme.

Bring him in.

And he turns the file that he’s reading around and taps it -

to reveal a picture of VINCENT BOURG.

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66 INT. CAFE DE SOLEIL - DAY A-2 (2006) 66

A local cafe for locals, and though they’ve striven for

jaunty with both the name and the decor, the results are

disappointing. It’s the closest you might get in France to a

greasy spoon. ZIANE enters and looks around. MALICK, at a

table near the window, stands slightly and nods. Ziane sees

him and goes over to the table.

ZIANE:

You are Malick Suri?

MALICK:

Monsieur Ziane.

Ziane puts his mobile phone on the table, accusingly.

Pointing at a text.

ZIANE:

“Chamartaines”. What does this

mean?

MALICK:

You know what it means. Or you

wouldn’t be here.

A beat. Ziane looks at Malick levelly - then sits down.

ZIANE:

You’re a journalist?

MALICK:

I am.

ZIANE:

What do you know about

Chamartaines?

MALICK:

Enough.

Ziane shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

MALICK (CONT’D)

I want information on the Oliver

Hughes case.

ZIANE:

Why do you ask me? They have

brought in some ‘expert’ from Paris

to tell me what to do. Meanwhile

they give me some agent as a

partner.

(sneering)

No experience as a detective but

the family like her, so...

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