The Night Manager Page #5

27 EXT. MALLORCA. PALMA. HOTEL. TERRACE. NIGHT. 27

ROPER and LANGBOURNE sit in a corner.

LANGBOURNE:

What’s the problem Richard?

ROPER:

I got a call from the River.

They’re worried about a man called

Mayhew. Think he might be up to

something. Call the Haven, tell

them we’re moving it forward.

Beat.

ROPER (CONT’D)

What do you think of our new front

man?

LANGBOURNE:

I like him. Drinks less than Corky.

The Night Manager ep 4 final

ROPER:

He doesn’t drink at all.

LANGBOURNE stares at ROPER who broods quietly.

Then JED and PINE, both impeccably dressed, walk on to the

terrace. Not a hair out of place.

ROPER (CONT’D)

Thought you’d eloped.

JED:

I got a headache. My gallant found

me a Nurofen.

ROPER:

Well I want to go to bed. After

all, I’m not going to see you for a

while.

He kisses her. PINE watches, not a glimmer.

ROPER (CONT’D)

Good night then Andrew. See you in

the morning.

JED:

I won’t wake to see you off Andrew.

Best of luck.

She smiles at him. Impeccably.

Then ROPER takes her by the arm and leads her to his bed for

the night of farewell.

PINE watches them go.

28 INT. LONDON. LIBRARY. DAY. 28

STEADMAN walks into a library.

He walks to a section of reference books, walks to Aisle J.

Looks for section 126.

Reaches between two books and pulls out an envelope.

And walks away.

29 INT. LONDON. THE NEW IEA OFFICES. DAY. 29

The Mayhew-funded new IEA offices are up and running.

Computers, large screens, satellite tracking. Hi-tech.

Nothing like the grubby old IEA. Six or seven new OFFICERS

including GRACE and GARDENER are in a Group meeting.

The Night Manager ep 4 final

STEADMAN leads it, others including SINGHAL, report. STEADMAN

takes out the envelope that he just found. There are seven

export certificates. Different names. It’s the gold they have

been looking for.

STEADMAN:

Ok we are looking at seven arms

sales, all in the last month. MOD

end-user certificates, fast-tracked

by the River. DRE, Gardener-Fisher,

Lessing Logistical, RZH Aviation,

Severance, Blue Oregon, and

Pureweather. You can see on the

certificates it says the end-users

are the governments of Bulgaria and

Italy. We now know that not to be

the case. They’re being exported

via a company called Farrago

Holdings. Export license granted,

they can ship any time.

IEA OFFICER GARDENER

How did you get these?

BURR:

A boatman gave them to me.

She smiles.

STEADMAN:

All right so the toys are in

transit. The question is - where

are they really going? And how the

hell are they getting there? Rob?

SINGHAL:

We’re focusing on three ships.

He shows pictures.

SINGHAL (CONT’D)

The Nemesis. The Marquis. And the

Leila Jane. Two came out of London

via Amsterdam and one out of

Liverpool via Marseilles.

BURR:

Why these three?

SINGHAL:

All three are registered in Cyprus.

To Farrago Holdings.

He has the ship’s registrations.

BURR:

Let me see that.

The Night Manager ep 4 final

SINGHAL:

Farrago is a front company, it’s

impossible to trace the directors,

all searches lead nowhere.

Beat. BURR stares at the registrations.

BURR:

What’s the official cargo?

SINGHAL:

Cereal crops and farm machinery.

All three ships have already gone

off their bearings in the Atlantic

Ocean. I’d say two are smokescreens

and one’s the real thing.

BURR:

What about Roper? Grace?

GRACE:

He’s in Palma. A private-jet left

Palma this morning. The plane is

registered to Tradepass Holdings.

Director is one Andrew Birch.

BURR:

Birch? Who’s he?

GRACE:

We’ve run searches on him,

nothing’s come back.

BURR:

Who’s on the plane?

GRACE:

Birch, Langbourne and Richard

Roper.

BURR:

Where’s it going?

GRACE:

Istanbul.

BURR stops at that. A flicker of thought. Turns to STEADMAN.

BURR:

That’s where Apo’s going. Let’s

split units. Rob, you get to

Istanbul now. Take Pearl and a team

with you.

SINGHAL:

What am I looking for?

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BURR:

A familiar face. I have a feeling

that Andrew Birch might be someone

closer than we think.

30 INT. MID FLIGHT. PRIVATE JET. DAY. 30

ROPER sits back, sipping champagne. LANGBOURNE is there

snoozing. PINE, dressed in a fabulous new suit, as ANDREW

BIRCH, new haircut, new life, sits drinking a juice. FRISKY

and TABBY are there as ever. A FLIGHT ATTENDANT approaches.

FLIGHT ATTENDANT

Sir we’ll be approaching Istanbul

in around ten minutes.

ROPER nods. Stares at PINE.

ROPER:

Ready to shine?

He smiles.

31 INT. LONDON. FOREIGN OFFICE. CORRIDOR. DAY. 31

REX MAYHEW is walking the FCO corridors of power, heading to

a meeting for which he may be slightly late.

32 INT. LONDON. PERMANENT SECRETARY’S OFFICE. DAY. 32

The PERMANENT SECRETARY is in her office. MAYHEW enters.

There is a stiff-lipped hostility in MAYHEW, a man wronged.

PERMANENT SECRETARY

Rex how are you?

REX MAYHEW:

Very well thank you.

PERMANENT SECRETARY

You want a drink?

REX MAYHEW:

I’m fine.

PERMANENT SECRETARY

I just wanted to check you were all

right. You don’t seem quite

yourself.

REX MAYHEW:

Really?

The Night Manager ep 4 final

PERMANENT SECRETARY

Listen, if it’s about this whole

Limpet business with the River and

Langley. I’m sorry if I upset you.

MAYHEW smiles.

REX MAYHEW:

Not at all.

PERMANENT SECRETARY

This woman Angela Burr from the

IEA. You know her personally?

REX MAYHEW:

A little, yes.

PERMANENT SECRETARY

You know what she’s up to?

REX MAYHEW:

Aside from the fact that she’s

working on Limpet, not really.

Micro-management isn’t my style.

PERMANENT SECRETARY

She’s been ruffling an awful lot of

feathers. I was just wondering if

one way to appease the River Boys

was to appoint a new head of the

IEA, still under your jurisdiction.

I have some suitable candidates.

She shows some papers on his desk.

REX MAYHEW:

Are you serious?

PERMANENT SECRETARY

I’m just trying to keep everyone

happy.

REX MAYHEW:

Angela Burr is closer than anyone’s

ever been to cracking Richard

Roper’s off-shore operation.

PERMANENT SECRETARY

You really believe that?

REX MAYHEW:

I know it. I’ve seen it with my own

eyes.

Beat.

PERMANENT SECRETARY

What do you mean?

The Night Manager ep 4 final

Beat.

PERMANENT SECRETARY (CONT’D)

Is there something you’re not

telling me?

Beat.

REX MAYHEW:

Pamela. If I show you this, it has

to be for your eyes only. This is

operational material and there are

lives at stake.

MAYHEW takes out the Tradepass papers. Hands them over.

Silence as the PERMANENT SECRETARY looks at the papers.

PERMANENT SECRETARY

My god.

REX MAYHEW:

We know who Halo and Felix are.

She stops him from saying.

PERMANENT SECRETARY

Not in here.

Beat.

PERMANENT SECRETARY (CONT’D)

You say this is operational?

REX MAYHEW:

Alive and kicking.

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