The White Angel Page #11

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Slowly she moves forward, sweat dripping from her forehead.

She reaches out for the key, further and further, nearer and nearer...

Her finger clasps the cold metal. Suddenly, STECKLER jumps up behind

her, screaming - He raises his arm bringing the meat clever he holds,

crashing down on her hand, severing it cleanly from her body....

96 INT DAY LIVING ROOM - CARTER abruptly wakes from her dream - she is sat

in her high arm chair - the room is darkened, the curtains shut.

Slowly she makes out the form of STECKLER sat shadowed in a chair

opposite. He doesn't move or say anything...

CARTER:

How long have you been watching me?

STECKLER:

I have something I have to show you...

He stands up - the room is still laid out from the previous evening,

the video camera still on it's tripod.

STECKLER wanders over to the TV set and inserts a tape into the video -

The TV flickers into life - a home video, shaky and out of focus. A

couple are chatting and enjoying a picnic by a monument in a park. It

is STECKLER and another woman - presumably his wife. STECKLER looks

very different, his hair unkempt, his clothes scruffy. The woman is

thin, with waves of blonde hair - she's wearing a bright coloured

outfit - her face caked in make-up.

But worst of all, she nags...

STECKLER looks round at CARTER - the light from the TV flickers on her

face. He looks back to the TV...The couple are eating their PICNIC.

The picture and sound is very bad - adding to the authentic, fly on the

wall documentary feel.

The camera is being helmed by STECKLER who is off shot - and soon an

argument breaks out over the contents of the sandwiches. As usual,

everything is STECKLERS fault, can't he do anything right? This woman

is your worst nightmare...

Suddenly the camera tilts...Then falls to the ground. It's focus system

tries to focus on the background, but cannot. Instead it focuses on the

picnic basket.

96 CONTINUED:

A fight can be heard - suddenly STECKLERS wife stops shouting at him,

there is a pause, then a crash as something falls over.

CARTERs eyes widen as her mind fills in the visual blanks from the

sound. There is a loud but muffled crack...

The camera is picked up again, getting a brief glimpse of the inert

form of the woman on the floor. The picture goes fuzzy as the recording

ends.

CARTER looks up at STECKLER who in turn has just turned off the camera.

CUT TO -

The wheels of the video CASSETTE turn in the video camera - the record

light flashes.

We see the video screen. STECKLER sits there - looking into the lens.

CARTER:

Tell me about your wife...

STECKLER:

My wife (-) My wife was the only one who

really deserved it. (Mimicking) LESLIE

do this. LESLIE do that. LESLIE it's

your fault... She used to tell me what

to wear, where to go, what to do - she

mothered me...

CARTER:

then why did you marry her -

STECKLER:

It seemed like a good idea at the time -

why did you marry your husband.

There is a pregnant pause - CARTER continues...

CARTER:

What didn't you like about her?

STECKLER:

(Intensely) I hated being treated like a

failure - looked down on - my sister

used to do that - I hated it - I should

have known, when we got married - in a

registry office of course - she wore

maroon - I just wanted a white wedding

(-) I think she thought I was a ticket

to the good life. I had a good job,

prospects. And she was a slut - I didn't

know until too late. One day, I came

96 CONTINUED (2):

STECKLER (CONT'D)

home early and found her in bed with

another man. I don't know who he was. It

didn't matter. She never saw me. I sat

and watched for half an hour before I

knew what I had to do.

There is a pause as STECKLER thinks.

STECKLER:

I hated her for that. And I hated her

for not wearing white at our wedding. I

was cheated. I couldn't have what

everyone else could have - all my life I

have denied purity...The only time I

really was at one with my wife was those

precious few hours before I had to cut

her up - she was accepting of everything

then...

STECKLER stops talking. CARTER waits..

STECKLER:

I had to kill her. She was rotten. And

like my MOTHER said - cut away the dead

wood or it will stop you doing what you

must do. The world is a better place

without her. You should understand

better than anyone.

CARTER draws her legs up under herself.

STECKLER:

You are the first person I have ever

told any of this to. We are birds of a

feather ELLEN...we're in the same league

CARTER:

I don't think so...This isn't a game you

know...There aren't points or leagues.

Sure I killed my husband - but I am no

killer.

STECKLER:

You've killed but you're not a killer

CARTER:

That's right...Don't ever think that you

and I are the same - we're not even

remotely similar. I did what I had to do

for myself, for my own self preservation

- not to live out some bizarre role

playing fantasy. My husband was sick -

96 CONTINUED (3):

CARTER (CONT'D)

he beat me up - he abused me - and I

just snapped.

There is a pause as CARTER gathers herself. STECKLER waits patiently

wanting more...

STECKLER:

Tell me how it happened...

CARTER:

Why should I?

STECKLER:

Why not? Please - it would help me

CARTER waits for a moment - then opens up

CARTER:

There's not much to tell - I had just

won my prize for the book - and he hated

me for it. He had hated the book, he

hated my success for so long - so he

decided to make my life hell. There are

things I can't tell you what he made me

do - things I couldn't tell anyone... I

wanted a divorce but he said he wouldn't

- then opportunity just popped up...He

was in the garage and I was in the

car...I just let the clutch up - he

couldn't get out of the way. I didn't

really mean to kill him -just teach him

a lesson - I guess if I had been

thinking straighter I wouldn't have done

it. I knew that if I was discovered I

would go to jail - even if it was

manslaughter I would do time - and any

time would have been too much - I've

seen what happens to people when they go

to prison - and what happens to them

when they get out. I wasn't going to be

one of them.

It is a strange reversal, STECKLER listening to the confessions of a

killer. Both feel something -

CARTER:

I knew I had to get rid of the body - so

I strung him up in the bath, slit his

throat and drained him - covered him in

salt - to avoid the rotting - and

bricked him up. Everyone believed me

when I told them he left the country - I

96 CONTINUED (4):

CARTER (CONT'D)

think they were glad he was gone.

Everyone except for that damn cop. He

knows. Somehow he just knows.

STECKLER watches CARTER. There is love and tenderness in his eyes.

CARTER:

And I have never told THAT to anyone

before

Both CARTER and STECKLER smile.

STECKLER:

And how did it feel to be rid of him

CARTER:

Wonderful - like a great release - He

was a malignant cancer and I had to

remove him - the world is better without

him

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