Vertigo Page #10

SCOTTIE:

You'd better have some. Or would you

rather have a drink?

She shakes her head again. He pours a cup of coffee and places

it on the floor next to her, along with a bowl of sugar cubes.

MADELEINE:

(Wonderingly)

...fell into the bay...

She looks up at him. He nods.

MADELEINE:

...and you fished me out...

He nods. She gives him a small grateful smile.

MADELEINE:

Thank you.

Scottie is watching her intently.

SCOTTIE:

You don't remember.

MADELEINE:

No...

SCOTTIE:

Do you remember where you were?

MADELEINE:

(Childishly surprised)

Oh, of course I remember that! But

then I must have had a dizzy spell,

and fainted!

SCOTTIE:

(Quickly)

Where were you?

MADELEINE:

At...

For that one slight, imperceptible moments it may seem that

she is caught, but then she goes on.

MADELEINE:

(Triumphantly)

...Old Port Point! Out at the

Presidio! Of course I remember! I

often go there!

SCOTTIE:

Why?

MADELEINE:

(Almost naively)

Because I love it so. It's beautiful

there. Especially at sunset.

(She leans her head

back sensually to

the warmth)

Ah... thank you for the fire.

SCOTTIE:

Where had you been before?

MADELEINE:

When?

SCOTTIE:

This afternoon.

MADELEINE:

Oh... wandering about.

SCOTTIE:

Before? Where? Where had you been?

There is a quick moment of blankness in her eyes that she

tries to hide, and then:

MADELEINE:

(Positively)

Downtown, shopping.

And Scottie sighs inwardly, having proved something.

SCOTTIE:

Please drink your coffee.

MADELEINE:

I will. You're terribly direct in

your questions.

SCOTTIE:

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude.

MADELEINE:

You're not. Merely direct. What were

you doing there? At Old Fort Point?

SCOTTIE:

Wandering about.

MADELEINE:

You like it, too.

He nods. She smiles at him happily, enjoying the warmth and

the coffee, enjoying his presence, seemingly almost to have

forgotten her nearness to death. And Scottie is fascinated

by this thing curled up before his fire.

MADELEINE:

(Then with a wicked

smile)

And where had you been?... just

before?

A moment, as Scottie takes a deep breath, and then he decides

to chance it and see the reaction.

SCOTTIE:

The Palace of the Legion of honor.

The Art Gallery.

MADELEINE:

(Enthusiastically)

Oh, that's a lovely spot, isn't it?

I've never been inside. But it looks

so lovely, driving past.

At the words, "I've never been inside," Scottie is startled.

He stares at her, and she looks at him with naive, happy

inquisitiveness, and their looks are joined. Finally she

drops her eyes and smiles timidly.

MADELEINE:

(Softly)

Lucky for me you were wandering about.

Thank you again. I've been terrible

bother to you.

SCOTTIE:

No.

She reaches up to feel her hair.

MADELEINE:

When you...

(And suddenly conscious

of her nakedness

again, and embarrassed)

There were pins in my hair...

SCOTTIE:

Oh! Yes! Here!

He crosses the room swiftly, picks up an ash tray in which

he had deposited her hairpins, takes her handbag from a chair,

and brings them to her.

MADELEINE:

Thank you.

She proceeds to do up her hair. He watches her, held by the

movement of her body under the dressing gown as she raises

her arms and deftly sets about putting her hair in order. At

one point, as she works, she looks up and flashes him a direct

smile.

MADELEINE:

You shouldn't have brought me here,

you know.

SCOTTIE:

I... didn't know where you lived.

MADELEINE:

You could have looked in my car. Oh,

but you didn't know my car, did you?

SCOTTIE:

Yes, I knew which one it was. It's

out there, now. But I didn't think

you'd want to be brought home that

way.

MADELEINE:

No, you are right,

(Pause, as she works)

I'm glad you didn't take me home...

I wouldn't have known you, to thank

you...

(Suddenly appalled)

Oh, but I don't know you! And you

don't know me! My name is Madeleine

Elster.

SCOTTIE:

My name is John Ferguson.

MADELEINE:

That's a good, strong name. Do your

friends call you John? Or Jack.

SCOTTIE:

John. Old friends. Acquaintances

call me Scottie.

MADELEINE:

(Smiling)

I shall call you Mr. Ferguson.

SCOTTIE:

(Grinning)

No, I wouldn't like that. And after

what happened today I should think

you could call me Scottie. Or even

John.

MADELEINE:

I prefer John. There, that's done.

(The hair is in order)

And what do you do, John?

SCOTTIE:

Wander about.

MADELEINE:

That's a good occupation. And live

here... alone?

He nods. A cloud comes over her eyes. She looks away.

MADELEINE:

(softly)

One shouldn't live alone.

SCOTTIE:

Some people prefer it.

MADELEINE:

No... it's wrong.

Then she looks up with a small smile, and the cloud is gone

from her eyes, and she speaks completely matter-of-factly.

MADELEINE:

(Simply)

I'm married, you know.

Scottie nods almost imperceptibly with his eyes. He looks at

her for a long moment. Then:

SCOTTIE:

Will you tell me something? Has this

ever happened to you before?

MADELEINE:

(startled)

What?

SCOTTIE:

...Falling... into San Francisco

Bay?

She laughs with relief, for it seemed to her, for a quick

moment, that he was going to say "falling in love".

MADELEINE:

No, never before. I've fallen into

lakes, out of rowboats, when I was a

little girl. And I fell into a river,

once, trying to leap from one stone

to another. But I've never fallen

into San Francisco Bay. Have you?

Ever before?

SCOTTIE:

(Grinning)

No... this is the first time for me,

too.

And they laugh together, with genuine warmth and friendliness

in their eyes, and it is obvious they are very much taken

with each other. And as they laugh, simultaneously, she

reaches for the cup of coffee, to take another sip, and he

reaches for it, meaning to take it and refill it.

SCOTTIE:

Here, let me give you a lit --

And his hand falls on her outstretched arm and stays there,

and with the contact made, the laughter dies suddenly, and

he is looking down at her intently, and their eyes have met,

and hers are anxious and wondering. And at that moment, the

telephone rings sharply. Scottie races into the bedroom,

closing the door behind him, and gets to the phone.

SCOTTIE:

Hello.

ELSTER'S VOICE

Scottie, what happened? She's not

home, yet.

SCOTTIE:

No, she's all right. She's still

here. But I'll get her home soon.

ELSTER'S VOICE

What happened?

SCOTTIE:

She... went into the Bay.

There is a long silence.

SCOTTIE:

Hello?

ELSTER'S VOICE

Did she hurt herself?

SCOTTIE:

No. She's in fine shape. Nothing to

worry about. But she doesn't know.

You understand that. She doesn't

know what she did.

Another long silence.

ELSTER'S VOICE

Scottie... Madeleine is twenty-six.

Carlotta Valdes committed suicide

when she was twenty-six.

And now it is Scottie's turn to be silent. He hangs up slowly

and moves across the room to the door.

INT. THE LIVING ROOM - (NIGHT)

Scottie enters from the bedroom, and stops, surprised. The

room is empty. The clothes are gone from the in the kitchen.

EXT. STREET OUTSIDE SCOTTIE'S APARTMENT - (NIGHT)

A car is moving down the hill on the opposite side of the

street. It begins to turn in toward the sidewalk and then

comes to a sudden stop.

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