The Sweet Hereafter Page #4

CUT TO:

INT. BILLY'S PICK-UP -- MORNING

BILLY smiles as he continues the conversation.

BILLY:

Nicole's coming over to look after

the kids tonight. She'll be there

around six.

RISA:

Billy, that's too early.

BILLY:

She said she's got to be home by

nine.

RISA:

Can't you make it later?

BILLY:

Look, I'll be waiting in the room.

You get over as soon as you can.

Okay?

RISA:

I guess.

CUT TO:

EXT. ROAD. -- MORNING

HELICOPTER AERIAL SHOT

The bus and the pick-up are travelling through a beautiful

mountain pass.

CUT TO:

INT. AIRPLANE. FIRST CLASS CABIN -- DAY

MITCHELL continues his conversation with ALISON as they eat

dinner.

ALISON:

I'm glad to hear that Zoe's okay.

MITCHELL:

Are you still in touch?

ALISON:

Not really. The last time I saw her

was at that clinic. That was a long

time ago.

MITCHELL:

Which one?

ALISON:

Which one?

MITCHELL:

Which clinic?

ALISON:

I don't remember the name. It was

near a beach.

MITCHELL:

Sunnyridge. That was a long time

ago.

Beat. ALISON proceeds cautiously.

ALISON:

So there were others?

MITCHELL:

(as he eats)

Other clinics? Oh sure. Clinics,

half-way houses, treatment centers,

detox units...

ALISON:

Then...when did she get better?

MITCHELL:

She didn't.

ALISON:

But you said...

MITCHELL:

That's where I'm going. To see her.

ALISON:

She's in trouble?

MITCHELL:

Yes.

(beat)

Do you find there's something

strange about this meat?

ALISON stares at her plate. MITCHELL summons the

STEWARDESS.

STEWARDESS:

Some more wine?

MITCHELL:

I'm afraid this meat is overdone.

STEWARDESS:

I'm sorry about that, Mr. Stephens.

Would you like to try the fish?

MITCHELL:

What is it?

STEWARDESS:

Poached salmon.

MITCHELL considers this. He is polite, but slightly edgy.

MITCHELL:

Do you have a cold plate?

STEWARDESS:

We do.

MITCHELL:

Is there shrimp on it?

STEWARDESS:

Yes.

MITCHELL:

If you could pick the shrimp off, as

well as anything that touches the

shrimp...

STEWARDESS:

(smiling)

I'm not sure if that will leave much

on the plate.

MITCHELL:

Well, let's see what we get.

The STEWARDESS leaves with MITCHELL'S food. MITCHELL gets

up.

MITCHELL (CONT'D)

(to ALISON)

If you could excuse me for a moment.

ALISON nods. MITCHELL leaves. ALISON picks at her meat

undecidedly.

CUT TO:

INT. AIRPLANE. FIRST CLASS CABIN -- DAY

In the mirror of the tiny washroom of the plane, MITCHELL

washes some water on his face. He stares at his reflection

in the mirror.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE OTTOS HOUSE. -- DAY

MITCHELL approaches the house of HARTLEY and WANDA OTTO. He

gets out of his car and knocks on the door.

WANDA OTTO answers. She has been crying. The two stare at

each other.

MITCHELL:

Mrs. Otto, my name is Mitchell

Stephens. The Walkers told me you

might be willing to talk to me.

Pause.

MITCHELL (CONT'D)

I'm sorry for coming over

unannounced like this, Mrs. Otto,

but the Walkers said you would

understand. I know it's an awful

time, but it's important that we

talk.

WANDA:

Who are you?

MITCHELL:

I'm a lawyer.

WANDA:

You can't come here.

MITCHELL:

Please, let me explain. I'll only

take a moment of your time.

WANDA:

No.

MITCHELL:

Please.

WANDA pauses, stares at MITCHELL, then lets him in.

CUT TO:

INT. THE OTTOS HOUSE. -- DAY

MITCHELL walks into the OTTO residence. It is a large two-

storey space divided into several smaller chambers with

sheets of brightly colored cloth - tie-dyes and Indian

madras - that hang from wires.

On a low brick platform in the centre of the main chamber is

a large wood-burning stove. A few feet from the stove,

sitting on an overstuffed cushion, is HARTLEY OTTO.

HARTLEY is listening to music on his headphones. He is very

stoned. WANDA moves over, and pulls the headphones off her

husband's head.

WANDA:

We have a guest. What did you say

your name was?

MITCHELL:

Mitchell Stephens.

MITCHELL hands them a card. HARTLEY reads it with

deliberation.

WANDA:

The Walkers sent him by.

HARTLEY rises up. He stares at MITCHELL. A tense pause.

HARTLEY:

You want a cup of tea or something?

MITCHELL:

A cup of tea would be nice.

(beat)

Would it be alright if I sit down

for a few minutes, Mrs. Otto? I

want to talk to you.

WANDA stares at MITCHELL. No response. MITCHELL waits a

beat, then seats himself rather uncomfortably on a large

pillow. He is unsure whether to cross his legs, or fold

them under his chin.

MITCHELL (CONT'D)

The Walkers spoke very highly of

you.

WANDA:

You've been retained?

MITCHELL:

Yes.

WANDA:

Their child died, and they got a

lawyer.

Pause. MITCHELL assesses WANDA'S energy.

MITCHELL:

It should be said that my task is to

represent the Walkers only in their

anger. Not their grief.

WANDA:

Who did they get for that?

MITCHELL:

You are angry, aren't you, Mrs.

Otto? That's why I'm here. To give

your anger a voice. To be your

weapon against whoever caused that

bus to go off the road.

WANDA:

Dolores?

MITCHELL:

It's my belief that Dolores was

doing exactly what she'd been doing

for years. Besides, the school

board's insurance on Dolores is

minimal. A few million at the very

most. The really deep pockets are

to be found in the town, or in the

company that made the bus.

WANDA:

You think someone else caused the

accident?

MITCHELL:

Mrs. Otto, there is no such thing

as an accident. The word doesn't

mean anything to me. As far as I'm

concerned, somebody somewhere made a

decision to cut a corner. Some

corrupt agency or corporation

accounted the cost variance between

a ten-cent bolt and a million dollar

out-of-court settlement. They

decided to sacrifice a few lives for

the difference. That's what's done,

Mrs. Otto. I've seen it happen so

many times before.

HARTLEY returns with the tea.

HARTLEY:

But Dolores said she saw a dog and

tried to...

MITCHELL:

How long has Dolores been driving

that bus, Mr. Otto? How many times

has she steered clear of danger?

What went wrong that morning?

MITCHELL takes the cup of tea.

MITCHELL (CONT'D)

Someone calculated ahead of time

what it would cost to sacrifice

safety. It's the darkest, most

cynical thing to imagine, but it's

absolutely true. And now, it's up

to me to make them build that bus

with an extra bolt, or add an extra

yard of guard rail. It's the only

way we can ensure moral

responsibility in this society. By

what I do.

Pause.

WANDA:

So you're just the thing we need.

MITCHELL:

Excuse me?

WANDA:

Isn't that what you want us to

believe? That we're completely

defenseless? That you know what's

best?

MITCHELL:

Listen to me, Mrs Otto. Listen very

carefully. I do know what's best.

As we're sitting here the town or

the school board or the manufacturer

of that bus are lining up a battery

of their own lawyers to negotiate

with people as grief-stricken as

yourselves. And this makes me very,

very mad. It's why I came all the

way up here. If everyone had done

their job with integrity your son

would be alive this morning and

safely in school. I promise you

that I will pursue and reveal who it

was that did not do their job.

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