The Relic Page #10

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DR. GROSS

(beat)

A bite.

Ziewzic turns to Pendergast.

DR. ZIEWZIC

What are we talking about here?

PENDERGAST:

Someone who makes the Hacksaw

Murderer look like Mother Teresa.

DR. ZIEWZIC

Right.

(back to work)

The entire brain appears to have

been extracted. May I see it,

please?

Gross passes over a grey, watery mass that sits in a stainless steel

pan. Ziewzic studies Beauregard's brain, or what's left of it...

DR. ZIEWZIC

Curious. There's something missing.

PENDERGAST:

The thalamus and the hypothalamus,

perhaps?

DR. ZIEWZIC

(looks up, surprised)

Yes. Two organs the size of a walnut

have been removed with what looks

like surgical precision.

D'AGOSTA

What happened to them?

PENDERGAST:

If you don't mind a suggestion, you

might try a saliva test.

Ziewzic, Gross and D'Agosta look at Pendergast. The photographer is

staring at the wall, silently mouthing multiplication tables to keep

from woofing all over the place.

D'AGOSTA

(incredulous)

Saliva test? You mean, you think

someone ate part of the brain?

PENDERGAST:

Correct.

A long moment of silence, then... Zwiezic uses a swab for the saliva

test, puts the result in a petrie dish.

DR. ZWIEZIC

Okay. One saliva test. Now... let's

look at these lacerations. They

start wide and then converge.

D'AGOSTA

Long fingernails? Scratches?

DR. ZWIEZIC

Too extreme. Perhaps some kind of

weapon. I'm now probing the wound

and... there's a piece of foreign

material deep in the muscle, lodged

on a rib. Photograph.

The photographer gathers his courage, steps forward with D'Agosta and

Pendergast. Zwiezic rinses the object off in a beaker of sterile

water. It turns brownish red. She holds it up. They all stare in

astonished silence. D'Agosta swallows.

D'AGOSTA

Sweet Jesus.

DR. ZWIEZIC

It's a claw.

The photographer's flash goes off.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. STREETS - NIGHT

A black and white heads uptown.

INT. COP CAR - NIGHT

Pendergast sits in silence. D'Agosta is visibly disturbed.

D'AGOSTA

I don't like animals. Never have.

Dog bit me when I was little. After

that I gave up on pets. Animals are

irrational. Give me a psychotic

killer any day. If there's one thing

that makes me queasy it's being part

of a food chain. My first case as a

rookie, two brothers climbed a fence

at the zoo. It was late August. Over

ninety. The polar bear was inside

his cave. Kids didn't know he was in

there. All they saw was the pool.

They got to swimming and splashing.

The noise woke up the bear. By the

time I arrived, both little boys

were in pieces. The bear was

dragging one kid around by the foot.

I can still hear the mother

screaming --

PENDERGAST:

This isn't an animal, Vince. I've

been on this case four months,

remember? I've learned a few things.

D'AGOSTA

You've been holding out on me

Pendergast. You have a suspect

capable of this?

Pendergast looks over, nods quietly.

PENDERGAST:

Let me tell you about it, Vince.

EXT. NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM - DUSK

The yellow crime scene tape is torn and flapping in a light rain. Most

of the emergency vehicles have left. The police have released the

employees who are now headed home. We see Frock and Kawakita exit.

Cuthbert isn't far behind. Pendergast approaches them, headed back

inside.

PENDERGAST:

Excuse me. Has Dr. Green left?

KAWAKITA:

Before eight? You must be joking.

She's in the physical anthro lab

making up for lost time.

Pendergast nods his thanks.

INT. MUSEUM HALL OF THE GEMS - NIGHT

The gems glow in the darkness as Pendergast passes through the now

empty room.

INT. METEORITE ROOM - NIGHT

Pendergast's footfalls are lost in the carpet as he goes down the far

stairs.

INT. HALLWAY - MUSEUM - NIGHT

Pendergast goes down a long, dark hall alone. He arrives at a door

marked PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY LAB, enters.

INT. PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY LAB - NIGHT

The skeletons throw odd shadows on the ceiling. Margo's computer

screen glows at the end of the room, casting the only light. But her

chair is empty. The room is quiet. Pendergast approaches slowly, looks

around.

PENDERGAST:

Dr. Green?

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