When a Stranger Calls Page #10

Then, the front door starts to swing open. Someone is coming

in. Tracy and Hank both glance nervously toward the door.

A MAN'S head peeks in. He is somewhere in his forties, a

regular customer.

CUSTOMER:

Hey, Hank, what're you doing open

tonight?

HANK:

(relaxing)

Trying to make a buck.

The customer walks up to the bar, sits down and talks quietly

with Hank.

Tracy looks nervously at her wristwatch. She stubs out her

cigarette, takes one last gulp of her drink and stands up to

go.

She walks to the bar, opens her purse and reaches inside.

HANK:

Keep it, honey. My treat.

They exchange a meaningful look. Then she heads for the door.

CUSTOMER:

(under his breath)

That how you make a buck?

EXT. BAR

Tracy looks up and down the street, hoping to see Clifford

somewhere, afraid of glimpsing Duncan instead. Then she starts

walking quickly homeward.

EXT. STREETS

Following Tracy to her apartment. We pick up Clifford now,

and we cut back and forth between the two of them -- her

walking quickly, never looking back, and him sneaking along

several hundred feet behind her, looking everywhere for

Duncan, whom we never see.

EXT. TRACY'S APARTMENT

She walks up the steps and enters.

INT. SIXTH FLOOR

Tracy steps off the elevator and goes to her door. She fumbles

through her purse for the key. Then she hears footsteps on

the stairs. She turns. It's Clifford.

CLIFFORD:

(coming forward:
half-

whispering)

No luck. You see him?

Tracy shakes her head.

CLIFFORD:

He still could be out there, though.

TRACY:

(softly)

Oh, God...

She is starting to come apart, and she suddenly leans on

Clifford for support.

CLIFFORD:

Are you all right?

Tracy stands there for several seconds to regain control of

herself. Then she steps away and turns back to the door.

TRACY:

I'm okay.

CLIFFORD:

I'm going to hang around outside for

awhile. I'll be back on and off again

all night.

Tracy gets the door unlocked. She pushes it open.

INT. TRACY'S APARTMENT - FRONT HALL

Tracy steps in. Clifford stays in the doorway. They are still

whispering.

CLIFFORD:

Are you sure you're okay?

TRACY:

I'm fine.

CLIFFORD:

All right. Bolt your door. Don't let

anybody in, no matter what.

TRACY:

Okay.

CLIFFORD:

I'll be seeing you.

(starts to move off;

comes back)

Listen. Thanks.

TRACY:

Sure.

Tracy closes the door and throws the bolt. Then she walks

into the apartment and out of frame. CAMERA STAYS in the

hallway. We can hear Tracy moving about O.S.

Then, as if on its own, the door to the hall closet slowly

swings open...

...until we can see Duncan standing inside the closet.

INT. KITCHEN

Tracy is putting some coffee on. Then she removes her coat

and walks out of the kitchen.

INT. FRONT HALL

Tracy goes up to the closet with her coat. The door is closed.

She opens it. She hangs up her coat and closes the door again.

Then she turns and starts walking out of the hallway to the

living room.

As she is rounding the corner into the living room, she walks

right into Duncan. She barely has time to gasp before he

clamps his hand over her mouth and pushes her against the

wall.

DUNCAN:

(urgent whisper)

I just have to talk to you.

(pathetically)

I want you to be my friend.

As she isn't struggling, he starts to loosen up on her.

DUNCAN:

Please...

He takes his hand away from her mouth, lets go of her, and

slowly, cautiously steps back. Tracy looks at him for a

breathless moment, her eyes wild with fear. Then she screams.

Duncan jumps back, stunned, frightened and confused. Tracy

doesn't move. She just keeps screaming hysterically.

EXT. STREET

Tracy's screams carry out into the night as Clifford races

across the street and into the apartment building.

INT. TRACY'S APARTMENT

Duncan runs to a window, throws it open and climbs out onto

the fire escape.

INTERCUT - APARTMENT STAIRS AND FIRE ESCAPE

As Clifford bounds up the stairs, flight after flight, and

Duncan tears down the fire escape.

INT. SIXTH FLOOR

The screaming has stopped when Clifford reaches Tracy's door.

He grabs the doorknob and heaves himself against the door.

It's bolted shut.

Clifford pulls one of the needles from his jacket and hammers

it into the lock. The bolt springs and Clifford runs into

the apartment.

INT. TRACY'S APARTMENT

As Clifford bursts in. Tracy gestures toward the window.

Clifford runs to it and sticks his head out.

POV - CLIFFORD

Duncan is gone.

BACK TO SCENE:

Clifford runs to a window on another wall and looks out onto

the street.

POV - CLIFFORD

No sign of the Englishman.

BACK TO SCENE:

Clifford runs out of the apartment, yanking his needle from

the lock as he passes the door, and charges back down the

stairs.

Tracy moves to the door and closes it. She is breathing

heavily.

O.S. we hear the angry sizzle of coffee spilling onto the

hot stove, as Tracy goes to get it.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING

Clifford comes out, looks around and moves rapidly up the

street.

EXT. A STREET

Duncan is hurrying along, dodging in and out of people, trying

to move quickly but not draw attention to himself...

EXT. ANOTHER STREET

Clifford is travelling along the sidewalk, crossing the

street, looking everywhere...

EXT. ALLEYWAY

Duncan is running up the alley. He comes to a stop beside

some piled up trash cans. He leans against the brick wall of

the building, huffing and puffing. He is frightened, but he

feels safe for now. He slowly slides down the wall to the

ground...

FLASH BACK TO:

INT. MENTAL HOSPITAL - DAY

Duncan is curled up in the corner of a bare cell with padded

walls. He is in a strait-jacket. His head is shaved. We can't

tell what he is thinking, except that he's obviously deeply

frightened and cannot understand what's happening to him.

CUT TO:

INT. A ROOM - NIGHT

This is the children's bedroom in Dr. Mandrakis' house of

six years ago. It is dark. Two small beds occupy one corner

of the room. We can see two small lumps on the beds, but no

more.

Duncan sits in the foreground with a telephone on his lap.

He is dialing a number. The phone rings three times before

it is answered -- or rather, picked up, because there is no

voice on the other end. After several seconds the phone is

hung up.

Duncan hangs up and thinks for a moment. He picks up the

phone and dials again. This time he gets a busy signal. He

hangs up, stands and goes to the door. He opens it slowly,

peers out. Jill's voice can be heard faintly talking to the

operator, asking for the police.

Duncan closes the door and comes back into the room, mumbling.

He goes to the window, looks out. Then he goes to the

children's beds.

CLOSEUP - DUNCAN

As he raises the covers and stares down into the CAMERA.

CUT TO:

EXT. DECK OF A SHIP - MORNING

A freighter, broad and low, arduously cuts through the water.

Early morning mist hangs over the deck which is empty but

for a lone FIGURE standing on the prow.

MIDDLE SHOT - LONE FIGURE

It is Curt Duncan. He is looking out over the front of the

ship. Another SEAMAN comes up behind him and claps him on

the shoulder.

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