Secret Window
transcript written by and used with the courtesey of Amanda Lazarus <3 . Thanks also to Paula for telling me about it!
Scene 1 : Setting : The Motel : Characters : Mort Rainey, Ted Milner, Amy Rainey, Motel Manager.
Mort’s Voice : [Windshield wipers move across car window] Turn around. [Windshield wipers] Turn around. [Makes a face and puts on his glasses] Turn the car around and get the hell out of here. [Placed a hand on steering wheel] Right now. [Shifts into reverse, turns around and backs the car up. Turns the car to the left angrily. Stops] Don’t go back. [Shifts] Do not go back there. [Turns around. Shifts again and backs up] [Gets out of car, goes into motel lobby, grabs a key off the rack]
Motel Manager [Puts on bathrobe, sees missing key] Hey. [Mort gets into car] Hey! [Mort drives further, stops abruptly, gets out of car. Unlocks and goes into a room] [Amy and Ted cower in their bed]
Mort Ahhhh! [Grabs head and walks away]
Motel Manager [Runs in] What the hell is going on in here?
Scene 2 : Setting : The Cabin : Characters : Mort Rainey, John Shooter, Chico.
[Shot pulls out of motel and fades into a scan of Tashmore lake]
COLOMBIA PICTURES PRESENTS
A PARIAH PRODUCTION
JOHNNY DEPP
SECRET WINDOW [Fades to red]
[Closes in on cabin]
JOHN TURTURRO
MARIA BELLO
TIMOTHY HUTTON
CHARLES S. DUTTON
LEN CARIOU
CASTING BY JOHN PAPSIDERA, CSA PAT MCCORKLE, CSA
COSTUME DESIGNER ODETTE GADOURY
MUSIC BY PHILLIP GLASS
EDITED BY JILL SAVITT, A.C.E.
[Enters cabin through secret window]
PRODUCTION DESIGNER HOWARD CUMMINGS
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY FRED MURPHY, ASC
[Moves toward desk]
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER EZRA SWERDLOW
PRODUCTION BY GAVIN POLONE
[Passes by computer monitor]
BASED UPON THE NOVELLA “SECRET WINDOW, SECRET GARDEN” BY STEPHEN KING
[Shot of mirror with Mort sleeping on the couch in the reflection]
[Goes into mirror]
SCREENPLAY BY DAVID KOEPP
DIRECTED BY DAVID KOEPP
[Mort sleeps on the couch, clock ticks]
SIX MONTHS LATER
Snores [Lifts his hand] [Someone twists the knob of the front door] [Mort is awakened, looks toward the door, puts on his glasses and gets up] knock knock knock knock knock [Mort opens the door]
Shooter You stole my story. [Mort looks at a loss for words] Well?
Mort I’m sorry.. do I.. I don’t believe I know you.
Shooter I know that. That doesn’t matter. I know you, Mr. Rainey. That’s what matters. You stole my story.
Mort [Shakes head] You’re mistaken. [He sees the manuscript] I don’t read manuscripts.
Shooter [Holds up manuscript] You read this one already. You stole it.
Mort I can assure you that I—Shooter : I know you can. I know that. I don’t want to be assured.
Mort If you want to talk to someone about some grievance you feel you may have, you can call my literary agent in New York.
Shooter This is between you, and me. [The dogs circles Shooter’s legs and whimpers] We don’t need any outsiders, Mr. Rainey. It is strictly between you and me.
Shooter Alright. Look, Mr. Who ever you are, I don’t like being accused of plagiarism, if that is in fact what you are accusing me of. Chico, inside! [Dog looks up at Shooter]
Shooter I don’t blame you for not liking it, but you did it. You stole my story.
Mort You’re going to have to leave. I have nothing more to say. [Closes door]
Shooter [Holds door back with curled manuscript] Yeah, I’ll go. We’ll talk more later. [Hands script to Mort]
Mort [laughs] I’m not taking that.
Shooter It won’t do you any good to play games with me, Mr. Rainey. This has got to be settled.
Mort So far as I’m concerned, it is. [Closes and locks door] [Looks through window, then at dog] [He hears noises coming from outside] [He sees Shooter go to his car and take his hat off. Mort looks a bit scared] [The car pulls out, Mort tries to see the license plates] [He opens the door, and sees the manuscript under a rock, looks up, then back to it] [Takes rock off, picks up manuscript] Sowing Season. John Shooter. [Goes back into the house] Never heard of you, pal. Never heard of your story. [Dumps it into the trash] [Washes hands, walks into living room air drying them] Now, [Lies down on couch] where was I? Oh. Oh. [Dog looks off to the side, then lies down in its bed]
Scene 3 : Setting : The Study : Characters : Mort Rainey, Chico.
[Shot of Tashmore lake]
Vacuum noise [Mort sits pensively at his computer, playing with his face] [Shot of computer] [Shot of clock] [Mort looks at the dog, stops playing with his face]
Mort I’m open to suggestions. [The dog looks sad] [Mort continues to play with his face] [He stands up and looks over the railing, sees Mrs. Garvey vacuuming] [Mort looks at the dog] If you don’t go and bite her, I’ll kill her. [The dog turns away] [Mort sits down] [Plays with face, then rubs hands together]
Mort [Shot on computer screen] Four days after George had confirmed to his own satisfaction that his wife was cheating on him, he confro—This is just.. bad writing. [Plays with slinky] Just bad writing.
Mort’s Voice : So, you know what to do? [Mort stops playing with the slinky] Just do it. [Puts slinky down, goes forward and highlights text with the mouse] No [Presses delete] bad writing.
Mort [Smiles, leans back and turns to dog] I think that solves it. Dog whimpers [Dog turns around in its chair]
Scene 4 : Setting : The Kitchen : Characters : Mort Rainey, Mrs. Garvey.
[Mort walks down the stairs eating something] [Walks into the kitchen and brushes his hands off on his bathrobe] [Opens fridge and pulls out a mountain dew] [Is shocked at seeing the manuscript on the table] [He walks forwards and examines it]
Mrs. Garvey [Comes down the stairs and into the kitchen] Oh, I found one of your stories in trash, Mr. Rainey. I thought you might want it so I put it on the table. [While rummaging through a cupboard]
Mort Yeah. I see that, Mrs. Garvey. [Pretends to shoot her] [He sits at the table and looks at the manuscript]
Mort’s Voice : Todd Downey thought that a woman who would steal your love when your love was really all you had was not much of a woman. He, therefore, decided to kill her. He would bury her in the deep corner formed where the house and the barn came together at an extreme angle. He would bury her where his wife kept her garden. The garden that she loved more than she loved him.
Mort [Jumps up, knocking the mountain dew over] Oh Shit! Aw, Sh—Mrs. Garvey : [Comes to the kitchen] Oh, thank god. From the sound of you I didn’t know what to think. Here. [She throws the manuscript into his hands] Here, let me get this. That’s my job.
Mort I’m terribly sorry, Mrs. Garvey. I really am.
Mrs. Garvey I’ll take care of this, Mr. Rainey. Go on back to work. [Cleans up]
Mort I didn’t write this.
Mrs. Garvey [Looks up] Oh. I thought you did. [Resumes cleaning]
Mort No, it’s not mine. Look. It says John Shooter right there [Pointing] John Shooter. It’s not me.
Mrs. Garvey [Looks up] Oh, I thought it was one of those um.. whatchamacallums.. Pseudonames or.. or nyms.
Mort No, no. I never used one. I never used one.
Mrs. Garvey Well, I can’t imagine why you would. I mean, hiding behind some made-up name. [Bends down]
Mort No, no. [Bends down] Mrs. Garvey, what I’m trying to tell you is that someone else wrote this story.
[Mrs. Garvey : [Looks up] Oh, okie dokie then. [Walks away] [Mort is left alone]
Scene 5 : Setting : The Study : Characters : Mort Rainey, Mrs. Garvey, Chico.
[Mort searches his bookshelf for something] [Picks out “Everybody Drops the Dime”] [Places it on the table] [Sits down and pushes back hair] [He opens the book to the contents page, traces down to “Secret Window”] [Flips to “Secret Window”]
Mort’s Voice : A woman who would steal your love when your love was all you had wasn’t much of a woman. That at least was Tommy Haverlock’s opinion. He decided to kill her. [Mort adjusts his glasses] He even knew the place he would bury her. The exact place. The little patch of garden she kept in the extreme angle formed where the old and new parts of the house came together. He’d bury her in the garden she loved more than she loved him. [Mort looks off to the side]
Amy Why don’t you come to the flea market with me. It’ll be fun. [Flashback fades in] We’ve got to get rid of some of this stuff. Look at this, it’s awful. [She places a teacup on a ledge] [Grabs a chest of drawers and pushes it away] No wonder they left it. [She completely moves it over] Oh my god, look. There’s a window! [She bends down and looks out of it] It’s a secret window. [She opens it, revealing a garden below] Oh, this is perfect. I’m gonna put my garden right there. [She turns back] It’s a secret window and it’ll look down on a secret garden. [The flashback disappears]
Mort [Turns away] Huh [He looks back at the stories and continues his examination] [He flips through the pages of the stories] Shit. [Shots of the two stories go by] [He closes the stories, rubs his face and breathes in] [He searches through his desk drawer, finds old Doritos. He closes that one and opens another] [After some rummaging, he turns up a pack of L&M cigarettes] [He glances towards the stairway, sees no one, smiles at the dog, then plops one into his mouth] [He turns back the dog] I didn’t steal it. [The dog stares] What? [The dog looks down]
Mrs. Garvey [From downstairs] Mr. Rainey!
Mort [Smoking] Mmm? [He lowers the cigarette so it is out of view]
Mrs. Garvey I’m all done. [Comes up stairs]
Mort Really? [Smoke puffs out of his mouth] So soon? [Nods] I’ll see you next time.
Mrs. Garvey Mr. Rainey… There’s something I want to say.
Mort Oh, no.
Mrs. Garvey Some women don’t know a good thing when they got it.
Mortb [Nods] Mm.
Mrs. Garvey Some women don’t know that they got the whole world and it’s right in front of their nose.
Mort [Quietly] Mmhmm.. [Nodding]
Mrs. Garvey There. That’s it. [Begins to descend stairs, then stops] Not another word from me. [Mort watches her go down bitterly, then resumes smoking] Mr. Rainey.
Mort Hm..? [He hides the cigarette]
Mrs. Garvey Can I make you something to eat?
Mort No. I ate. Well.. earlier. I’m going to eat later. And I’ll make it myself.
Mrs. Garvey You’re a good man, Mr. Rainey. [Nodding]
Mort You too, Mrs. Garvey. [He watches her go down again] [He frowns, and continues to smoke]
Scene 6 : Setting : The Living Room : Characters : Mort Rainey, Amy Rainey, Ted Milner.
Mort [Coming down the stairs and shooing away smoke] It’s my personal business, Mrs. Garvey. Thank you very much. My personal business. [Sees couch] Oh! My pillows now. [He throws the pillows off the couch, and lies down] Her sticky weird fingers on my privacy. Sighs I didn’t steal that story. [Closes eyes] [Turns to face forward] I don’t think.. [Shot of clock] [Mort drifts off to sleep] [The door of the house shakes] [Mort drifts still] [Shooter walks in] Phone rings [Mort blocks away the sun] Wha—? Mm.. [He sits up wearily and searches for the phone] Phone rings [He stand up and brings the phone to the couch] [Lies down and answers] Hello?
Amy [On phone] Hello Mort. Mort groans [In person] Are you alright?
Mort Yeah, I’m alright. Why wouldn’t I be alright?
Amy [On phone] I don’t know. [In person] You’re up there all alone. Anything can happen and nobody would know.
Mort [On phone] I’d know.
Amy [On phone] Right. sighs Hey, hey. How’s my little baby puppy? Did Chico ever get those cataracts removed?
Mort Scowls Why did you call, Amy? What do you want?
Amy I had one of those feelings I get. [Grabs wine and glasses] I know you think they’re stupid, and you don’t believe them but I believe them and um, [On phone] [Mort scowls and strangles the phone] I was making a sandwich and I had this sensation that you might not be okay. [Mort turns on the couch] I held off as long as possible, [Sets down the wine and glasses into a bag] um but then I couldn’t anymore so here I am.
Mort Well, I don’t know what to tell you except I’m fine.
Amy Nothing weird happened or anything? [She walks off]
Mort [He hesitates] Do you remember Secret Window?
Amy [On phone] What?
Mort My story. You know, the one where the… [scratches face] the woman has the garden [On phone] And then the guy has the uh.. shovel?
Amy [Walks] Not one of my favorites..
Mort That’s good to know.
Amy [Laughs] Well, it was kind of hostile, don’t you think?
Mort [Sits up and grabs the phone] Gee, I miss your constructive criticism, I really do.
Amy [Wipes lips in a mirror] What about the story, Mort?
Mort [Goes to the kitchen] Oh, I was just wondering whether you think it’s possible that I might have been influenced by anybody or anything at that time?
Amy [Fixes hair] Other than Jack Daniels?
Mort [Returns to couch, drops phone on table ding ] I know that part, Amy, hence the question. [Sits down, wipes top of mountain dew can]
Amy [On phone] I don’t know. Yu got kinda weird on that one. You’d write it mostly at night. I think. [Mort blows on can] [Amy turns away from the mirror] What do you mean influenced anyway?
Mort [On phone] I don’t know.
Amy [On phone] Like by another story?
Mort Look, forget it.
Amy Mort. [Sits on bed] You swore the one time was the only time.
Mort [On phone] Forget it. Please, please. Just forget it. Come on. How’s Ted?
Amy Sighs He’s fine.
Mort I was thinking that he and I should get together sometime, have a drink because you know, we’ve been to a lot of the same places.
Amy You know what? I gotta go.
Mort So do I.
Amy [Lies back on the bed] Okay.
Mort Is he there?
Amy [On phone] No. [In person] We’re not together.
Mort [Is amazed] Wow. Well.. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t on the verge of doing Snoopy dances. Heh.
Amy No, Mort. [Sits back up] sighs What I meant was, we’re not together at the moment. [On phone] He’s coming over later. He hardly ever comes here, I usually go to his house.
Mort [Smiles] There’s a useful detail. Thanks for that. [Lies back down]
Amy [Looks out window, sees Ted’s car pulling in] Don’t ask, then. It was working just fine that way.
Mort [On phone] I think you should have him over the house more. [In person] Such a nice house, I like it, I mean I love it. That’s why I bought it.
Amy [Ted approaches the house] Goodbye, Mort.
Mort Goodbye, Amy. [Both hang up] [Sits up, with head in hands] Oh, shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Scene 7 : Setting : Outside : Characters : Mort Rainey, John Shooter, Tom Greenleaf.
[Mort walks down the muddy path outside, holding a walking stick] [He slaps a mosquito on his neck] [He stops at the clearing, seeing Shooter’s car]
Shooter You read it?
Mort I did.
Shooter I imagine it rang a bell, didn’t it?
Mort Oh, it certainly did. [Approaches Shooter] When did you write it?
Shooter I thought you’d ask that. [Sits on his car]
Mort Well, sure. That’s the whole point isn’t it? When two writers show up with the same story, it’s all about who wrote the words first. Wouldn’t you say that’s true?
Shooter I suppose I would. I suppose that’s why I came all the way up here from Mississippi. [Mort stops, sticks the walking stick in the ground leaning on it, and turns to the road] Honk honk honk [Mort waves, Shooter salutes with his hand] I wrote it seven years ago. 1997. How’d you get it? [Mort smiles] It’s what I really want to know. [He goes up to Mort] How in the hell did a big money-scribblin’ asshole like you get down to a little shitsplat town in Mississippi and steal my goddamn story?
Mort Drop it. [Walks away]
Shooter Drop it? Drop it? What in the hell do you mean, Drop it?
Mort [Comes back] You said you wrote your story in 1997? i wrote mine in late ‘94. It was published for the first time in June ‘95 in a magazine. Nice try, Mr. Shooter, but I beat ya by two years. So if anybody’s got a bitch about plagiarism, it’s me. [Turns away]
Shooter You lie! [Pins him against the car]
Mort [Throws him off] No I don’t!
Shooter Prove it!
Mort I don’t have to prove a thing to you. Go look for yourself. Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine June 1995.
Shooter And how am I supposed to find that?
Mort That’s not my problem.
Shooter Am I supposed to drive down to your house in Riverdale New York and ask your wife Amy for it? [Mort looks shocked] [Shooter smiles] I read it on your book jacket.
Mort [Gulps] That’s not my house, that’s hers.
Shooter What the hell does that mean?
Mort What do you think it means, you ignorant hick? I’m in the middle of a divorce! D-I-V-O-R-C-E—di-vorce.
Shooter You strike me as the kind of guy who’s on the lookout for a head he can knock off with a shovel. But what you don’t understand is if we do start to fight, it’s not going to end until one or the other of us is dead. [Goes to the car] [Mort is nervous] Hold your water. I’m just gettin’ m’smokes. [He offers one to Mort]
Mort I don’t smoke.
Shooter I’ll give you three days. You call your ex and get her to send you the magazine with your story in it, if there is such a magazine, and I’ll be back. [Slips a cigarette into his mouth and lights it]
Mort If I show it to you, will you go back to wherever you came from and leave me alone?
Shooter [Puffs smoke] [Nods] Three days. [He returns to his car]
Mort Always a pleasure to meet a reader.
Scene 8 : Setting : The Living Room : Characters : Mort Rainey, Chico.
[Shot of table with a sandwich with a bite taken out of it, Doritos, an open jar of Jif, an almost empty glass of milk] [The clock ticks] [Mort sits at the table, the dog on the floor] [The faucet leaks] [Mort looks down, then up] [The dog licks its lips] [Mort picks up the sandwich sadly]
Mort [Sighs] I don’t wanna call her. [Gets on floor, holds the sandwich out to the dog] [Lies down next to dog] I wanna go to sleep, I wanna take a nap. Huh? [The dog eats the sandwich] Okay. No nap. I give her a call about the magazine.. I go write some crap for a couple of hours.. [The dog isn’t paying attention] And then I get to take a nap. A dog barks from outside [Chico looks away] Right? Chico? [The dog gets up and leaves, heading to the doggy door] [Mort turns his head to the dog] ChicoOoOoO don’t be discouraAaAaAaged! [The dog walks out] Alright, go ahead and be discouraged, ya blind [Gets up] bastard. See if I care! [Unplugs the phone line] [Heads to the couch] And returned [Sits down] to the couch. Sighs [Takes of watch] In shame. Degradation. [Puts watch on table] [Takes off glasses and puts them on the table] [Takes off shoes] [Lies down] Sighs Sloth. Sloth. [The clock ticks] [The shot pulls away into darkness] [Mort tosses and turns on the couch] [He turns to the edge, and sees he’s hanging over a waterfall] [He falls off, flustered] [He pushes back his hair and groans] [Picks up watch, then puts on glasses, then pushes back hair again] [Puts down watch and breathes in] [He gets up and goes over to the sink, fills a glass of water] [He places it up to his mouth to drink, but notices that his back door is open, and there’s something white on the wall blowing in the wind] [Is curious, goes up closer to get a better look, places the glass on the counter] [He opens the door, and flips the light switch, but the light doesn’t turn on] [He scowls, and goes in to get a flashlight] [Turns the flashlight on, and examines the light, noticing that there is broken glass on the floor] [He moves the flashlight around and looks elsewhere, then walks over to the garbage bin] [He moves the beam across trees, and his car] [Goes down the stairs, and over to the wall and finds a note attached to the wall HAve 3 days i am Not JokiNg NO POLICE”] [Mort turns to the garbage bin and sees a white blanket over something] [He focuses the flashlight on it, then turns away] [He turns back and approaches, then pulls off the blanket] [The dog with a screwdriver through its head is under the blanket] [Mort falls away] Oh! Uh. Ho.. uh.. [He looks at the dead dog, moves his flashlight all around him, breathing heavily] Shooter! I’ll get you for this! You hear me? I’ll get you for this! [Mort returns to the house and locks all windows and doors] [He walks forward and looks around the house] [The sun is coming up, and he buries the dog int he ground with a shovel] [He sticks the shovel in the ground]
Scene 9 : Setting : The Sheriff’s Department : Characters : Mort Rainey, Dave Newsome, Secretary.
[A shot of Tashmore lake]
Dave Chico? He killed Chico?
Mort Yeah. Last night, around 9. I was asleep. [They walk towards the building] Look, he left this [Holds out the note]
Dave [Takes the note] You have 3 days, I’m not joking. No police. Hahaha. Anytime somebody sits down and writes “No police” That’s just about exactly the time that a fella should get himself over to the police. [He opens the door] [Mort goes in, then Dave]
Mort Yeah, yeah. Well, that’s what I figured. [They walk to Dave’s desk] So what I’ve got is a detailed description of him, I’ve got a detailed [He turns to Dave] description of his ca—Dave : Type a little harder. You have to get through the carbon [He points to the secretary’s papers]
Mort [Dave walks to behind his desk] [Mort is shocked at the rudeness] You know what, [He points] I didn’t get the license plate number, but I’m sure they were Mississippi tags. [Dave puts his glasses on and sits down] I think that it started with an A.. ‘cause that’s what I see in my mind.
Dave [Picks up needlepoint] Needlepoint! Can you believe it? Doc says it’s good for the arthritis. [Does some needlepoint]
Mort Yeah.. [Glances at secretary] [Sits down] Anyway, anything you can find out about this guy I would really appreciate—Dave : I must cut quite an intimidating law enforcement figure, huh [Laughs]
Mort [Is nervous] I-I’d like to know what I’m dealing with here, because maybe he’s got a violent history.. uh… maybe you find him, you could talk to him. I think that would probably be better.
Dave So, you got yourself a member of the crazy folks tribe?
Mort Yeah.. I mean, they pop up every once in awhile, I suppose that’s just the price of selling a few books.
Secretary [On phone] Ha ha ha ha haa! [Mort looks at her, annoyed] Sorry..
Mort [Smiles, then looks away] [He grabs something from his coat pocket] Here’s the uh.. [He looks back at the secretary confusedly] The description.
Dave Killing an animal is not like killing a man. I’m not even sure that it’s a crime, come to think of.
Mort Come on, it’s gotta be. What about animal cruelty? What about destruction of private property? What about—Dave : Yeah, yeah, yeah.. Maybe. Okay. First thing I’m gonna need [Puts down needlepoint and picks up a pen], is a description. [Looks up at Mort] [Mort looks shocked]
Scene 10 : Setting : Ken’s Office : Characters : Mort Rainey, Ken Karsch, Secretary.
[Shot of New York buildings through a window]
Ken Tell me the truth. Did you steal it? [A siren goes]
Mort [Turns away from the window in shock] What!? No!
Ken Kind of an amazing coincidence, don’t you think? [Mort listens] The stories being so much alike?
Mort Well, obviously the guy copied it from me. Would you like to choose a side before we continue?
Ken I’m on your side, but I still need to know the truth. Which kind of situation is this? Is he a regular wacko, like you’ve had before in which case I can help? Or is this something you should be talking to your lawyer about?
Mort [Shakes head] No, no. This guy is just simply out of his mind. I think that’s all it is. [Sits down]
Ken Fine. [Spreads hands] Okay. What do you want me to do?
Mort I want you to help me in the same way that.. [Ken’s secretary comes in bringing some food and places it on the desk] [Mort is distracted, stares at the secretary] In the.. same way that you.. did before.
Ken He wasn’t this crazy. [Reaches to food] That guy was just an obsessed reader who couldn’t tell real life from the crap that you make up for a living. No offense. [Mort smiles] Now, this Shooter guy. He threatened your life?
Mort He put a screwdriver through my dog.
Ken [Eating] Well, he did break a law, but it doesn’t seem to be an important law in Tashmore Lake. The sheriff… must be a cat person. [Smiles]
Mort [Comes forward] Yeah, well I don’t exactly feel safe with a 70 year old arthritic sheriff watching my back. Are you gonna help me, or not?
Ken Uh.. Let’s see. [Looks at plan book] I got a…. corporate loyalty thing I gotta be back for by Friday, but I can give you a couple of days.
Mort [Nods] Okay. [Breathes in] My story came out a couple years… [Ken presses Mort’s side of the chess timer] [Mort looks annoyed] before.. he says he wrote his. So I’ve got a copy of the original up at Amy’s house. I was just gonna stop by on my way upstate and pick it up.
Ken Amy’s house?
Mort Yeah. [Nods] Amy and I split up about 6 months ago.
Ken I’m sorry.
Mort [Nods] Yeah. Me too.
Ken Amicable?
Mort Not remotely.
Ken What happened? Did you finally nail one of your groupies at a book signing? The Omaha Barnes & Noble? Hehehe. [Mort presses Ken’s side of the chess timer] [Nods] That was a dick thing to say, you know? Rotten profession. I apologize. [Presses Mort’s side of the timer again] You were saying?
Mort I was saying… That if it’s just proof that this guy Shooter wants, fine. I show him the magazine, but I think that maybe you should be with me when I show it to him.
Ken No shit, I’m gonna be with you. You remember my rate?
Mort Yeah. An obscene fortune, right?
Ken Look, you’ll see a black cadillac in the driveway tonight when you get home. Don’t freak out, it’s me. Keeping an eye on things.
Mort Okay. [Gets up]
Ken Get a good night’s sleep. You don’t look too hot. [Mort Leaves]
Scene 11 : Setting : Outside Amy’s House : Characters : Mort Rainey, Amy Rainey, Ted Milner.
[Mort drives on the highway to Amy’s house] [He gets into the neighborhood and slows down] [He stops across from the house and pulls into someone’s driveway] [Amy and Ted emerge from the house, talking, Ted pointing at things] [Mort regards from the reflection in the car mirror] [Amy and Ted stop by their car, and kiss]
Mort’s Voice : This is not..my beautiful house. [Amy and Ted get into the car] This is not.. my beautiful wife. [The car drives off] … Anymore. [Camera focuses out of the picture and we see the mirror, “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear”] [Mort is sad, and plays with his face]
Scene 12 : Setting : The Cabin : Characters : Mort Rainey, Ken Karsch.
[The moon is out. Mort pulls into his driveway, and spot’s Ken’s black cadillac] [He stops the car, looks around and sees Ken’s head against the window] [He turns the car off and gets out] [He walks towards the car slowly and carefully] [He bends down and sees Ken’s head on the steering wheel] [He approaches, his reflection in the window, and taps on the glass] [Ken’s head lifts]
Mort [Jumps] Oh! [He turns away] [Ken opens the car door and gets out] [They both laugh] [Mort pushes back his hair and smiles] You scared the shit out of me!
Ken Hey, hey. I’m sorry about that. This last week must’ve finally caught up with me.
Mort That’s very reassuring. Thanks.
Ken Hey, relax Hemingway. I was only out for ten minutes, swear to god.
Mort Hm..
Ken Already checked the place, everything is fine. Just waiting for you to get back to let you know.
Mort [Breathes out] [Looks off to the side] You think you’d be sticking around.. tonight or..
Ken No [Smiles] Not unless you want me to.
Mort No. [Looks away] No. No, I’m sure it’s fine. In.. [Nudges to house] In there.
Ken Nope. [Descends stairs] Heh. No monsters up here.
Mort Did you check under my bed?
Ken Even in your toy chest. [Mort comes out, holding a paddle] I’ll be back in the morning, start asking around town. [Sees the paddle] What the hell you gonna do with that, sailor. Huh? [Takes the paddle away and goes to put it back] Find out who else saw your nut-job.
Mort Tom Greenleaf. [Points]
Ken Huh?
Mort [Flashback of Tom honking honk honk honk ] Tom Greenleaf passed by when I was talking to Shooter on Lake Drive and waived at us, so he must’ve got a good look at him.
Ken [Walks into the next room] Hmm.. Tom Greenleaf. How do I get ahold of him?
Mort Bowie’s store. Breakfast every morning, 9 am.
Ken Okay, I got it. Don’t worry. [Comes back in] Once I find out where this Shooter’s staying, I’ll stop in for a little freak-me-out chat. Use the word “We” a lot. [Gestures with his hands, Mort nodding at each line] We know what you’re doing. We want it to stop. We’re watching you. Trust me, he’ll hit the road so hard, it’ll hit back. [Walks off]
Mort [Stands there] Yeah. [Ken opens front door and steps out] [Mort follows] Hey, you know what. Are you staying in town tonight?
Ken Yeah, some motel out by route 9. Uh.. Irv’s lakesider, I think it’s called. You know the place?
Mort [Flashback of Mort backing up towards motel] [Nods] Yeah, I know, yeah I know the place.
Ken Okay. good night. [Ken walks off] [Mort shuts the door and locks it]
Scene 13 : Setting : The Cabin : Characters : Mort Rainey.
[Mort stands in the cabin, drumming on his thighs] [Ken gets into his car] [Mort walks over to the window, hands behind his back] [Mort bends down and looks out the window] [He takes the string of the shade] [Something moves in the house] [Mort turns around rapidly, and looks up at the railing]
Mort Hello? [Ken’s car pulls out] [Mort scans the upper floor] [He sees Ken’s car leave] Shit. [He walks forward, then stops. He picks up a fire poker from the holder] [He goes up the stairs slowly] [Mort looks around the upper floor, but sees nothing] [He turns and cautiously opens up a door with the fire poker] [He turns on the light, and looks around, but sees nothing] [He approaches another door, and begins opening it with the fire poker] [He hears something suddenly and jumps and turns to the bathroom] [He gulps, and moves closer] [He sees a figure in the mirror and becomes scared] I know you’re in there, shithead! If you don’t come out by the time.. I count to five…. I gonna come in swingin’ [He looks at the figure] [Wipes his sweaty hands on his pants] One, two…. [He runs into the bathroom] Ahhhhhh! Smash [He attacks the mirror] [Turns on the light, and looks at his victim] I killed a mirror. Squeak [He turns to the shower and begins attacking again] Hu.. uh! Smash [Through the broken glass, he sees a mouse scamper through the tub] And my shower door.. [He slides open the busted door, and looks down at the mouse and sighs] [Throws down the poker and grabs a nearby towel] [Takes the mouse up in the towel] Crash [Part of the broken cabinet falls, scaring him] [He walks past it, and heads downstairs] [He pauses, and goes over to the desk] [He picks up the tattered packet of L&M’s and holds them for a moment, then replaces them on the desk] [He continues downstairs, then stops and comes back upstairs. He grabs the L&M’s and places one in his mouth and leaves] I don’t care. I’m just gonna smoke. I’m just gonna totally smoke. I’ll finish these, go to the store and get a brand new pack, smoke the shit out of that one. [He walks outside, takes the cigarette in his hand] [Bends down, and releases the mouse from the towel into the wild] [He strikes a match on the ground, and lights the cigarette back in his mouth]
Scene 14 : Setting : Outside : Characters : Mort Rainey, John Shooter.
Shooter Thought you didn’t smoke.
Mort [Throws away the match] I took it up recently for my health.
Shooter How are you, Mr. Rainey?
Mort Oh, I’m just… Peachy, Mr. Shooter. How are you?
Shooter Well, It sounded like you pitched a fit or something in there. [He bends down next to Mort] I don’t think you’re really all that well. Stealing from another man, that don’t seem to have ever bothered you none. Being caught up on, though. [They both stand up] Or maybe it’s just that successful writers like you throw tantrums when things don’t go the way they expect. Why didn’t you get that magazine? You were down there at her house today, weren’t you?
Mort If I get this story, and I show it to you, will you then kindly disappear?
Shooter There isn’t any.. Magazine with that story in it, Mr. Rainey. You and me, we know that.
Mort Okay, then. [He leans against the shovel standing in the ground] What can we do [He places his hand on the handle] to make you feel better? [Shooter moves around, and Mort backs away from the shovel]
Shooter I want you to fix it.
Mort What would you like me to fix?
Shooter My ending. The one you wrecked. I can’t decide what’s worse. [Shooter rubs his hand on the top of the shovel handle] Stealing my story, or ruining the ending. Mine was perfect.
Mort I don’t think I even read your whole story.
Shooter Oh, I’ll bet you did. I know I can do it, Todd Downey said, helping himself to another ear of corn from the steaming bowl. I’m sure that in time her death will be a mystery. Even to me. That’s how the story ends, pilgrim. It’s the only ending. You’re going to write it for me and get it published and it’s going to have my name on it.
Mort I’d be more than happy to write your ending, Mr. Shooter.
Shooter [Smiles and turns away] So, that wife of yours coming out of the house. [Grins] She’s purty.
Mort My wife? Why don’t we just leave her out of this?
Shooter [Turns to Mort] Would, if I could. But I’m starting to think you ain’t going to leave me that option. [Mort becomes upset, and picks up the shovel. He tries to hit Shooter with it, but Shooter grabs it with one hand] Grrrr! [He pins Mort against the wall with the shovel to his throat] You want to wake up from one of your stupid naps and find Amy nailed to your garbage bin? Or turn on the radio some morning and hear she came off second best in a match with a chainsaw you keep out in the shed? [Mort chokes] [Shooter releases him and he falls to the ground, clutching his throat and gagging] Do ye? [Mort chokes] You can’t get away with it. [Shooter walks away] I know what you did and I ain’t quittin’. Until right gets put right. [Mort catches his breath on the ground and leans backwards against a tree]
Scene 15 : Setting : The Living Room : Characters : Mort Rainey, Amy Rainey.
[Mort lies in his bed, staring out. Then he turns and thinks for some moments] [He grabs his glasses and heads downstairs] [Shot of Tashmore Lake] [Mort sits on the couch scarfing Doritos] [He looks at the phone, then to the wall and realizes that it’s been unplugged] [He gets up and plugs the phone back in] [He goes to sit back down] Phone rings [He pauses and looks at it in awe] [He puts his Dorito back in the bag and picks up the receiver]
Mort Is that you, John Wayne?
Amy [On phone] Mort? [Mort looks up] Are you there? Mort?!
Mort [Shuts his eyes] Yes, Amy, I’m here! Just lower your voice a little. What is it?
Amy [On phone] Where have you been? I have been trying to get ahold of you all night and this morning.
Mort I was asleep.
Amy [On phone] Oh, great. So you unplugged the phone!?
Mort How may I assist you, Amy?
Amy [On phone] Oh god.. Mort.. [Mort shoo’s a fly]
Mort [Grabs some Doritos and eats them] What happened, what?
Amy [On phone] Someone burned down our house, that’s what happened, okay?
