Project 15: Part Six

INT. HOSPITAL WARD - EVENING

Elias stands by his mother who is lying in bed. Elias smiles. Cassandra stands beside him.

ELVIRA DUCKWORTH: Jonah, is that you?

ELIAS: No, ma. It’s me, Elias.

ELVIRA DUCKWORTH: Elias? 

ELIAS: I’ve been away.

ELVIRA DUCKWORTH: Oh Jonas, I knew you’d come back, just like your Father. 

CASSANDRA: Where is your husband Mrs Duckworth?

ELIAS: This is Cassandra. A friend.

CASSANDRA: More like a foe.

ELVIRA DUCKWORTH: Jeremiah was with me yesterday. I told you he’d come back.

ELIAS: He’s gone Ma.

ELVIRA DUCKWORTH: I saw him with my own two eyes. I did. You stick around long enough and you’ll see him too.

ELIAS: Whatever you say Ma

ELVIRA DUCKWORTH: He was a good one, and you are too. I’m so proud of you, Jonas. You’ve turned out just like your father.

INT. CASSANDRA’S CAR (NOT MOVING) - NIGHT

Cassandra and Elias sit into Cassandra’s car. Elias is emotional

CASSANDRA: Save your crocodile tears for someone else.

ELIAS: I’m--

CASSANDRA: --Was she even your real mother or just another poor woman losing her memory? Was this a set up Elias?

ELIAS: No.

CASSANDRA: Or should I call you Jonas?

ELIAS: Jonas was--

CASSANDRA: --I don’t want to hear anything from you. I just want to get home and be rid of you. Turned out like your old man? He was a con artist too. Wasn’t he?

Cassandra turns on the radio and turns on the car.

INT. CONFESSION BOX OF LOCAL CHURCH - DAY

Elias sits into a confession box of a local catholic church

PRIEST (O.C.): What would you like to confess my son.

ELIAS: Firstly, father, I’m not catholic

PRIEST (O.C.): Are you Protestant? Jewish?

ELIAS: I’m an atheist.

PRIEST (O.C.): Our lord does not discriminate, my son. Have you anything else to confess?

ELIAS: I’ve told a lot of lies in my time, some of which I went to prison for. I want to be a better person, but I’m struggling. Bills are stacking up and for the first time in my life I’m feeling guilty about what I’ve done.

PRIEST (O.C.): Is there a woman involved in all of this?

ELIAS: Yes, to be honest, but now she will have nothing to do with me. You see she’s married.

PRIEST (O.C.): Many men have impure thoughts my son.

ELIAS: Well she is divorced but..

PRIEST (O.C.): It is my place to be a listener, to hear your sins. It is not my place to offer advice.

ELIAS: I don’t know if she will ever forgive me. I figure, if God forgives me then she will.

PRIEST (O.C.): If you want someone to believe in you, you’ve got to give them a reason to believe in you and over time her eyes will be opened.

EXT. OUTSIDE ELIAS HOME - DAY

Vernon approaches Elias who is tending to his front garden.

VERNON: I know you have a thing for my wife.

ELIAS: Your ex-wife

VERNON: Stay clear of her, or I’ll make you wish you don’t wake up ever again.

ELIAS: Charming

VERNON: You’re just a deadbeat convict and I’ll see to it that she knows that about you.

ELIAS: I think the cats out of the bag already.

VERNON: Keep away from her or else.

Chuck approaches and Dirk walks away.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Who was that?

ELIAS: Just a welcoming neighbour.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: I may have found something. The Tuscan Tribune has a writer who uses similar phrases.

ELIAS: Anything else?

CHUCK HUMPHREY: He’s only been with them for six months. He goes by the name of Roger Schmidt.

ELIAS: I always did want to visit Tuscan.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: What about your parole restrictions.

ELIAS: You can vouch for me, can’t you?

INT. ISABELLE KAJINSKA'S HOME - DAY

Vernon enters the home of Isabelle in an apparently stressed manner and addresses Cassandra.

VERNON: That neighbour of yours just threatened me.

CASSANDRA: What are we going to do?

VERNON: Just keep out of his way. He could be dangerous

ISABELLE: He always seemed like such a nice man.

VERNON: For a convict.

CASSANDRA: Don’t give him any more of your money Isabelle, no matter how nice he seems. He’s just a slimy old snake.

EXT. OUTSIDE CHUCK’S HOME - MORNING

Elias drives a cheap car to Chuck’s home.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Where did you get that banger?

ELIAS: Don’t ask

CHUCK HUMPHREY: It might not get us out of the state.

ELIAS: Let’s go, or we may not make it in time.

Chuck sits into the car after removing a HALF EATEN SANDWICH from the passenger seat.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Yours?

ELIAS: You can throw it out.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: It wouldn’t set a good example for my neighbours

Elias starts driving. Chuck opens the glove compartment and places the sandwich in it. He also sees a DECK OF CARDS

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Say, a deck of cards. 

He takes them out and looks at them.

How come they’re all three of diamonds?

ELIAS: Don’t ask

Chuck puts back the cards and picks up a COIN.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: And a two headed coin? Look Elias, I hope you’re not going back to your old ways. I’m putting everything on the line here.

ELIAS: I won’t let you down. Scouts honour.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: You’ve never been in the scouts, have you?

INT. CHEAP RESTAURANT - LUNCH TIME

Chuck and Elias are seated at a table in a cheap restaurant.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: So, what made you become a con artist?

ELIAS: What made you become a cop?

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Everything that it hasn’t turned out to be. Right over wrong. Good versus bad. Now it seems to be only grey and I’m turning a blind eye to fellow officers because as one man I can’t do anything about it.

ELIAS: You’re doing something about it now.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Now it’s your turn.

ELIAS: I didn’t have a hard luck story, just a warped set of morals, plus the excitement of getting away with something. 

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Have you changed?

ELIAS: I guess like any addict, you can’t really say you’ve changed until years down the line, when you know there is an alternative. That’s why I still have a two headed coin and a trick deck of cards. You never know when they’ll come in handy.

Chuck and Elias stand up to leave. Sitting at another table is Harvey Church who gestures with his fingers as if to indicate that he is watching him.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Who is that?

ELIAS: An old lover of mine. He took it personal when I dumped him. He was great in bed though.

INT. OFFICES OF THE TUSCAN TRIBUNE - AFTERNOON

Elias and Chuck approach the reception desk of the Tuscan Tribune.

EDITOR OF THE TRIBUNE: Male, forties, informally dressed, cautious, nervous.

ELIAS: Good afternoon, we’re looking for a Roger Schmidt. We have a story we think he would be interested in.

RECEPTIONIST AT TRIBUNE: Hold on a minute

Seconds later, the editor approaches them.

EDITOR OF TRIBUNE: Gentlemen, what is this about?

ELIAS: There’s a lot of pollution going on at the plant and we’d like to talk to Mr Schmidt about it. 

EDITOR OF TRIBUNE: There is no Mr Schmidt

ELIAS: But we’ve been reading some of his articles lately and he seemed like the trustworthy sort.

EDITOR OF TRIBUNE: Unfortunately, he left two weeks ago.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Did he say where he was going?

EDITOR OF TRIBUNE: Nothing. He just upped and left. Now, we’re quite busy, so if you wouldn’t mind...

CHUCK HUMPHREY: We get the picture.

EXT. OUTSIDE OFFICES OF TUSCAN TRIBUNE - AFTERNOON

ELIAS: Did something strike you as odd?

CHUCK HUMPHREY: He never asked anything further about the story?

ELIAS: You might make a good detective one day.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: So, what now?

ELIAS: Let’s split up and see what we can find out. We can meet back here at 6.

INT. TUSCAN LAUNDERETTE - AFTERNOON

LAUNDERETTE OWNER: I can’t say I know the name but there’s a writer who lives up on the hill who only moved there not so long ago. Goes by the name of Geller. Keeps to himself

ELIAS: Which way.

LAUNDERETTE OWNER: It’s a small house painted yellow, up that way. Now, I’d appreciate a donation.

Elias hands over fifty dollars and hurries out of the launderette.

EXT. TUSCAN MAIN STREET - AFTERNOON

Elias jogs to the street. He glimpses Harvey Church in a car - smile on his face - driving in the general direction of the house on the hill. Elias car is boxed in. Elias starts running at a faster speed. 

OUTSKIRTS OF TUSCAN: Halfway there - he hunches over to catch his breath.

EXT. OUTSIDE YELLOW PAINTED HOUSE - EVENING

Elias hears some raised voices and moves to the back of the house. He can see Harvey Church walking away from the body of a man in the back garden. 

HARVEY CHURCH: You’re too late.

Elias reaches the body and sees that he is dead. He examines his pockets, including his wallet and identification.

Seconds later Chuck arrives and stands over the body.

ELIAS: It’s not him.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Did you see who did it?

ELIAS: No

CHUCK HUMPHREY: No secrets Elias.

ELIAS: Don’t you trust me?

CHUCK HUMPHREY: If it’s not him, who is it?

ELIAS: Roger Schmidt. A dead end.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Not quite. He had a girlfriend.

INT. TUSCAN POLICE DEPARTMENT - EVENING 

Chuck Humphrey is at the Tuscan Police Department and is being questioned by two police detectives.

DETECTIVE FILBERT: So, you’re saying that you were the first person who arrived at the scene of the crime?

CHUCK HUMPHREY: That’s correct

DETECTIVE FILBERT: Locals have said that there was a second man, snooping around and asking questions about Roger Schmidt

CHUCK HUMPHREY: I wasn’t aware of a second man. Honestly.

DETECTIVE DONNELL: Some witnesses said, you arrived with another man

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Well then, they are mistaken.

EXT. ZOURKA BRESHNEV’S RESIDENCE - DAY

Elias and Chuck are standing on Zourka Breshnev’s doorstep.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: I had to take the rap for you man. All because you asked me to keep you out of the picture.

ELIAS: In my position Chuck, they could lock me up and throw away the key. You know I’m innocent. You trust me. Right?

Zourka answers the door.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Miss Breshnev, we’re investigating the disappearance of a man named Josh Kajinsky. We believe his life may be in danger.

ZOURKA: Even if I could help you. How could I trust a cop? For all I know it’s the cops that killed Roger.

Zourka goes to close the door but Elias tries to prevent her.

ELIAS: Miss Breshnev, my neighbour is an old woman who just wants to see her son again. Anything you tell us will be strictly between us. As sure as there are bad cops there are good cops too.

Zourka lights up a cigarette as she retreats inside her house. The two men follow her inside. They sit down in the living room.

LIVING ROOM: ZOURKA

Roger couldn’t write to save his life. He met this guy, about six months back. Roger was a front for this guy. Roger took twenty per cent. He didn’t know what he was getting himself into.

ELIAS: Did you ever meet this guy?

ZOURKA: Once or twice. He skipped town about a week ago.

ELIAS: Do you know where he went?

ZOURKA: Not a clue.

ELIAS: Where did he stay?

ZOURKA: Some shack of a place about two miles from here.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Do you know, this guy’s name?

ZOURKA: Are you saying that this guy was responsible for Roger’s death?

CHUCK HUMPHREY: No Mam, but the murderer’s were probably looking for him.

ZOURKA: His name was Hal Calhoun. That’s all I know. I never even met the guy.

EXT. OUTSIDE CALHOUN DWELLING - DAY

Elias and Chuck drive their car towards an isolated wooden shack. An old man is on the other side of a fence nearby.

They climb out of the car and approach him.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Sir, we’re..

MR COURIER: I know who you are and what your business is. It’s a small town. I’m afraid I can’t help you much. You seem to be leaving a trail of dead bodies wherever you go.

ELIAS: We’re the good guys Mr eh..

MR COURIER: Courier. Quite frankly, you all claim to be good guys, but can you prove it.

There is a pause.

MR COURIER: Didn’t think so.

CHUCK HUMPHREY: Could we take a look inside, Mr Courier?

MR COURIER: Have you got a warrant?

CHUCK HUMPHREY: No sir, but we can get one.

MR COURIER: Goddamn cops. The key is under the flower pot. Leave it the way you got it. I plan to rent it out sooner rather than later.

INT. CALHOUN DWELLING - DAY

Chuck and Elias enter the dwelling. A one room dwelling with a kitchen and bed in the same area and a small bathroom attached. The shack is neat and tidy. The two men take a look around. The bins are empty. There are no newspaper cuttings, books or photographs