When a Stranger Calls Page #15

Pause.

JILL:

How can we just sit here?

John turns and moves over beside her.

JOHN:

Look, we promised never to talk about

this.

REACTION SHOT of Jill. She is shocked.

JOHN:

What are we supposed to do? Leave

town? Take the kids and lock ourselves

up somewhere? Come on... Let's get a

good night's sleep, and in the morning

we can rethink this whole thing.

JILL:

Nothing has to be rethought. And I'm

not about to fall asleep.

JOHN:

Try to relax, honey. I'm here. We're

both here. The house is locked up.

The cops'll be just outside all night

long. We're safe now.

JILL:

That's what they told me before.

John stands up and goes to his dresser.

JOHN:

Okay. Look. If it'll make you feel

any better...

He takes a revolver from the dresser drawer and emphatically

checks the action. Then he walks to his side of the bed and

sets the pistol on his bedside table.

JOHN:

I'll keep it right here beside me

all night. You know I'm a light

sleeper and a damn good shot. Are

you satisfied?

Pause. Jill tries to smile.

JILL:

John, I'm sorry to be putting you

through all this.

JOHN:

Hey, you're not putting me through

anything that you don't have to go

through yourself. I'm with you all

the way. Trust me. Okay?

Jill nods. John leans forward and kisses her.

JOHN:

That's my girl.

He gets up and walks out of the room talking.

JOHN (O.S.)

Now try to relax. We'll get some

sleep. You'll be surprised how

differently things will look in the

morning.

JILL:

(complaining)

Honey...

JOHN (O.S.)

What?

JILL:

Not so loud. You're going to wake

the children.

John comes back into the bedroom with a glass of water and a

couple of pills in his hand.

JOHN:

(smiling)

Naw. Those kids'd sleep through an

earthquake. They're good kids.

(handing her the pills

and water)

Here, take a couple of these. They're

just what the doctor ordered.

CLOSEUP - JILL

As she takes the pills and swallows them, one at a time.

JOHN (O.S.)

You know, I read somewhere about

this psychological thing called

hysterical delusion or hysterical

recall or something. It had to do

with how an event from your past can

sneak up on you sometimes and fool

you when it's only just a memory. I

don't know. We'll talk about it in

the morning. Maybe there's someone

we can see about that...

CUT TO:

INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT

The lounge area in the back of the station. At one table,

three OFFICERS are playing bridge. Garber with his back to

CAMERA rounds out their game.

At a nearby table closer to CAMERA, Policeman #1 is working

on a crossword puzzle. POLICEMAN #3, sitting next to him, is

reading a paperback novel.

POLICEMAN #1

What's a word for "an outsider, of

sorts"?

POLICEMAN #3

Trespasser.

POLICEMAN #1

Uh-uh. Eight letters.

POLICEMAN #3

Stranger.

POLICEMAN #1

Uh-uh. Starts with an "I".

Policeman #3 thinks briefly, then goes back to his novel.

Policeman #2 enters the room carrying a printout of some

sort.

POLICEMAN #2

Hey, Bert. A report just came in on

that guy, Curt Duncan.

ANGLE ON GARBER:

At the bridge table, perking up his ears, looking around.

POLICEMAN #2 (O.S.)

Broke outta the nuthouse two months

ago.

Garber is keeping only half an eye on the card game. He pulls

a card from his hand and throws it down.

POLICEMAN #1 (O.S.)

Oh, yeah? You going to put that in

our report?

OFFICER #1 (O.S.)

Diamonds, Charlie. Diamonds was led.

Garber hastily picks up his card and throws down another.

POLICEMAN #2 (O.S.)

Course I'm going to put it in the

report. Maybe this gal tonight really

did get a call from him. Who knows?

OFFICER #1 (O.S.)

Your lead, Charlie.

Garber throws down another card.

OFFICER #1 (O.S.)

What the hell are you doing? That's

a trump.

OFFICER #2 (O.S.)

A card laid is a card played.

POLICEMAN #1 (O.S.)

Yeah, you're right. We'd better leave

that on Ruznik's desk in the morning.

OFFICER #2 (O.S.)

Toss 'em in. I got the rest.

OFFICER #1 (O.S.)

Jesus Kay-Reist!

Garber throws down his cards. He stands up and approaches

Policeman #2.

GARBER:

Hey, Tucker, lemme see that a minute.

Policeman #2 hands the sheet of paper to Garber. Garber

quickly scans the information.

GARBER:

You guys have a stake on the house?

POLICEMAN #2

Bernstein and Waller are checkin' it

every twenty minutes or so.

GARBER:

(handing back the

sheet)

Thanks.

Garber exits to his office. Policeman #2 walks over to where

Policeman #1 is still sitting, working the crossword.

POLICEMAN #1

Hey, what's an eight letter word for

"an outsider, of sorts"? Starts with

an "I".

POLICEMAN #2

Intruder!

POLICEMAN #1

Right! Intruder!

CUT TO:

INT. GARBER'S OFFICE - NIGHT

Garber sits thinking for a moment. He is trying to come to a

decision. He reaches for the phone and dials. It rings and

then is picked up.

CLIFFORD (O.S.)

Hello?

GARBER:

Cliff?... I think I got something

for you...

CUT TO:

INT. LOCKHART HOUSE - NIGHT

A shot of the downstairs hall. All is dark and still, very

still.

INT. BEDROOM

Jill is tossing in her sleep. John is fast asleep next to

her, on his side facing away from her. Then, Jill wakes up.

She is heavily sedated, groggy. She hardly knows where she

is at first.

She pulls herself up to a sitting position on the side of

the bed. She tries to gather her wits. Then she gets up and

walks slowly out of the room.

FOLLOWING JILL:

Through the upstairs hallway, down the staircase and toward

the kitchen. The darkness around her is ominous, threatening.

She stops at the dining room window and looks out. On the

street a patrol car slowly passes and disappears down the

block.

INT. KITCHEN

Jill enters, turns on the light, opens a cupboard and takes

out a glass. She goes to the refrigerator and opens it.

Suddenly, the lights go out.

Jill closes the refrigerator door and goes and turns on

another light. Apparently, only a lightbulb has blown. Jill

unscrews the burned-out bulb from its socket and throws it

in the trash.

She leaves the kitchen.

INT. DOWNSTAIRS HALL

Jill walks to a hall closet and opens it. A light comes on

inside as she does so. A puzzled, half-startled expression

comes onto her face.

JILL'S POV

Inside the closet, half the hangers with coats, etc., are on

the floor.

Sound over:
A telephone being dialed.

CUT TO:

INT. CLIFFORD'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Clifford has just finished dialing the phone. He waits,

nothing happens. Then a strange, siren-like noise comes out

of the telephone. Clifford listens, then hangs up.

He picks up the .38 he has lying on the desk and idly starts

flipping the cartridge chamber with one of his jimmy needles.

After a moment, he lays the gun down and picks up the phone

again, this time calling the OPERATOR.

OPERATOR (O.S.)

Operator.

CLIFFORD:

Can you dial a local number for me?

OPERATOR (O.S.)

What is the number, please?

CLIFFORD:

555-2183.

The operator dials. There is a pause. Then the same strange

noise cuts in.

CLIFFORD:

Operator, what does that mean?

OPERATOR (O.S.)

I'm sorry, sir, that line seems to

be disconnected.

CLIFFORD:

Why don't I get a recording?

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