Scene 17 : Setting : The Insurance Agency : Characters : Mort Rainey, Amy Rainey, Ted Milner, Fran Evans, Fran’s Assistant.
[The shot is from outside the agency’s window. Then it pulls in]
Fran : [Makes he way to the table] I’m sorry I wasn’t there to meet you this morning. I spent most of last night poking around the site with a… flashlight and a Polaroid. [She places some papers on the table] Oops. [Sits down] Broke one of my own rules. [Pushes her chair in] I don’t like to call it the site. It wasn’t a site.. it was.. a house. Your house and I’m very sorry for your loss.
Mort : Thank you very much.. [Picks up papers and finds her name] ..Mrs. Evans.
Fran : [Smiles] It still says Mrs… Fran is fine. These meetings are hard. [Amy lowers her sweater] [Mort looks down at her] People in your situation are already upset and quite often they take [Amy drinks a glass of water] the presence of an investigator as an accusation that they’ve torched their own property. [Mort looks at her, then away, then back] And in this case you have certainly given us a plausible [Amy puts her sweater up again] suspect who we’ll investigate aggressively along with the [Mort looks away, plays with his face] police. But, in the meantime, that’s a list of your claimed insurable property. You look it over, then you sign an affidavit swearing that the listed items still belong to you and that they were still in the house when the fire occurred. I’m told there was a separation of residence recently? So that last bit might be particularly important.
Mort : We’re going through a divorce. It’s not final yet.
Amy : Well, the settlement agreements are done. Everything’s negotiated. [Ted sighs, boredly] We’re just waiting for it to be signed. By um.. both parties.
Mort : I moved out six months ago and just.. hadn’t gotten around to hauling all the stuff out yet.
Fran : Been down that road. [Shakes head] Sucks.. [Ted is bored] These things just have to follow their natural course. It’ll wrap up when everybody’s ready for that to happen.
Mort : [Chugs his glass of water] That’s been my feeling. [Plays with his face]
Fran : In the meantime, [gestures to list] Do the best you can with the list.
Amy : Thanks. [She looks down at the list] [Mort looks down at the list] [Ted is bored, he tries to glance over Amy’s shoulder to see the list] [Amy sees that he can’t see, looks at Mort, and nudges the list to Ted’s direction] [Ted leans in close and clears his throat] [Mort looks up at Ted, annoyed. Then nudges the list back to his direction] [Amy looks angry]
Mort : I’m sorry. Excuse me. Do you actually intend to rubberneck?
Ted : I hardly think my concern could be construed as rubbernecking.
Mort : Amy. He’s rubbernecking.
Amy : Okay.
Mort : I’m not going to freak out about this, but I mean.. this is our stuff.
Ted : What the hell’s the point, man?
Mort : It’s our stuff!
Ted : I’m just trying to help out here. I don’t understand why it is so important.
Amy : No, no. Alright! Alright!
Mort : This our stuff!
Amy : [Turns to Ted] No, no. He’s right. He’s right, Ted.
Fran : He is right, Mr. Milner. The law says that you have no right to be looking at the list of items at all. We wink at something like this if nobody minds, but.. [She looks at Mort who looks angry] it looks like Mr. Rainey does.
Mort : [Nods] Yes, Mr. Rainey minds a lot.
Ted : [Looks around] Uhh.. Would it help matters if I um.. took um.. a walk around the block?
Amy : Yes. Thanks.
Ted : Sure. [He kisses Amy on the forehead] [He gets up and goes to the door]
Mort : [Stops playing with his face and looks up] Aw, heck Ted. Live a little. Make it two. [Ted pauses, then goes out the door] Rubbernecker.. [Amy gives him a sharp look] [Fran’s assistant clears his throat and hands them the list]
Scene 18 : Setting : The Lobby Of The Insurance Agency : Characters : Mort Rainey, Amy Rainey, Ted Milner, Guy.
[Mort and Amy ride in the elevator down to the lobby. The’s a dude at the back of the elevator who’s chewing gum and listening to music through headphones quite loudly. Mort and Amy feel uncomfortable together. Mort looks up at the ceiling] ding [The elevator doors open. The dude from behind pushes his way out] [Mort looks pissed] [Mort and Amy walk out]
Amy : Mort. [Mort puts his tuque on] Wait. Mort I have to ask you something. [They walk towards the exit]
Mort : What?
Amy : This guy, Shooter. His story. I mean, is this a situation [Mort adjusts his glasses] like the other time? [Mort scowls] I’m sorry. I wouldn’t bring it up. But it did happen once before.
Mort : [They stop in front of the door] Look, that was the only time I’ve ever even done anything remotely like that. I paid the guy everything he wanted. Never happened before, or since.
Amy : Okay.
Mort : Okay.
Amy : Okay.
Mort : [Turns to leave, then stops] Amy?
Amy : [Turns around, and walks back to him] What?
Mort : You and me and the lawyers. We’re the only ones that know about that, right?
Amy : Right.
Mort : Because you haven’t said anything to Ted, certainly not?
Amy : No.
Mort : Have you said something to Ted?
Amy : C’mon!
Ted : [Comes through the door holding two cups of coffee. He smiles] Well, do I have timing or what? [Hands one of the cups to Amy]
Mort : Yes you do. I’m real sorry you had to miss that. I know how much you like my things.
Amy : [To herself] Aw, Jesus.
Ted : You and me are going to have a little talk. [To Amy] Be back in ten minutes. [He opens the door]
Mort : [To Amy] I’m in trouble. [He and Ted go out the door] [Amy sits on a bench and sighs]
Scene 19 : Setting : Outside The Insurance Agency : Characters : Mort Rainey, Ted Milner.
Ted : Look, I’ve about had enough of your bullshit.
Mort : [Stops and goes up to Ted] You’re a dick!
Ted : Do you feel better?
Mort : [Continues walking] Yes, I do.
Ted : Yeah, look, marriages end. I’m sorry but I didn’t end yours. You know, it was done by the time I got there.
Mort : [Turns to Ted] Really? You must’ve thought her wedding ring was a little bit strange?
Ted : Oh, man! I- Listen. I apologized to you months ago. Now look, I know that you don’t want me in your life. Guess what? I don’t want you in mine either. But until this little divorce thing’s done, not much we can do about it. But I’ll tell you something. [Moves closer to Mort] I will not let you upset Amy anymore than you already have. So why don’t we just wrap this little thing up, alright. And get out of eachother’s lives—? Zoom [A bus brushes by, freaking out Mort] [He cowers] Are we.. uh.. gettin’ the message I’m sendin’?
Mort : Where are we from, Teddy?
Ted : Tennessee.. Morty.. [He sips from his cup and walks off]
Mort : I was gonna say Mississippi.
Ted : [Turns around] No. Long way from there. Little place called Shooter’s Bay. [Mort looks shocked] [Ted walks off] [Mort thinks]
Scene 20 : Setting : Mort’s Cabin : Characters : Mort Rainey, Ken Karsch.
[Mort drives up his driveway at night] [He looks around, but doesn’t see Ken’s car]
Mort : C’mon, Karsch. $500 a day. Where are you when I need you? [He looks around and scowls, then drives the car further up the driveway. He stops and gets out] Phone rings [Mort runs up to the front door, and groans. He hurries to open the door] [He finally opens it, and places his key on the key-hook on the wall] Phone rings [He grabs the phone] What fresh Hell. [He picks up the receiver] Yeah?
Ken : [On phone] Where you been all day?
Mort : Ha, I might ask you the same question. [He goes into the bathroom and drops the phone on the floor ding]
Ken : [On Phone] Relax. You’re fine. I checked the cabin an hour ago.
Mort : Yeah? [He unzips his fly] Well he showed up about an hour after you left last night.
Ken : [On phone] Oh, really? [Mort pushes back his hair and pisses] Then he had a busy night. [Shot scans into Ken’s motel room. Ken is lying on the bed in his boxers] [In person] My office called me about your Riverdale house. I’m sorry.
Mort : [On phone] Well, the worst part is, I hadn’t had a chance to get the magazine out. The one with the story he says I stole. That’s gone up in smoke now.
Ken : Well, you still wanna go through with it? Meeting him? Showing him the magazine?
Mort : Hell yes! [Zips up his fly] [Flushes the toilet] I’ve had a shitty year. [Bends down and picks up the phone] I want it settled. Now. Everything. [Mort walks]
Ken : [On phone] Good. ‘Cause I called your agent when I heard about the house. [In person] I figured he got a copy of the magazine. He sent the original by UPS. Overnight today. You can pick it up tomorrow after 3.
Mort : [Smiles] I knew there was a reason that I hired you. [Closes front door and locks it]
Ken : [On phone] There’s something else. [In person] I caught up with your Tom Greenleaf today. The guy who drove past you and Shooter on the lake road? [On phone] Well, [Mort sits on the couch] here’s a weird one. [Mort breathes out and puts crosses his feet on the coffee table] First he says he did go down to the Lake Drive on Tuesday and he saw you, like you said. But then he gets nervous and says, no no no. Come to think of it I didn’t. Didn’t see anybody. Wasn’t even on Lake Drive on Tuesday.
Mort : Yeah, well… Tom’s old. Maybe it just slipped his mind.
Ken : [Walks around] Don’t be naive. He was scared shitless. Someone got to him. [He grabs puts something into a glass of water]
Mort : Come on, wait. [He laughs] Why would Shooter care if Tom Greenleaf knows he’s here?
Ken : [On phone] Well, it depends.
Mort : On what?
Ken : [He sits down] On what he plans to do to you. I’m revising my opinion, Mort. I don’t think Shooter’s just some nut. [On phone] [Mort listens carefully] We need to consider the possibility that he was hired to do this. [Mort switches his feet] Someone with a grudge against you hires a tough guy to rattle you. Scare you to death. But, [In person] he hires the wrong guy. [He picks up a glass] Things get out of control. They go further than they’re supposed to. Dead dogs. Burnt down houses. Now they can’t call them off.
Mort : [His eyes open wide, he takes his feet off of the coffee table and bolts upright] Ted.
Ken : [On phone] Who?
Mort : [Pushes back hair] Ted. Amy’s Ted. [Moves his fingers] The Ted that Amy left me for… Maybe that’s why the guy calls himself Shooter. Ted wants me to know it’s him. He’s trying to intimidate me. He’s trying to…uh.. send me a message.
Ken : Why? What does he want?
Mort : [On phone] I don’t know.
Ken : [On phone] Did you piss him off?
[Flashback to Ted yelling at Mort in the motel bed]
Ted : Get the fuck out!
Mort : I might have..
Ken : [On phone] Okay. Here’s what we do. [In person] What proof do you have that Shooter was there… [On phone] Other than the manuscript. [Mort rolls up his sleeve] Physical evidence, I’m talking about.
Mort : [He looks down at his arm] Bruises. [On phone] I got bruises on my arms from where he grabbed me.
Ken : Alright. [He gets up and places Mort on speakerphone] You and me are going to go see Greenleaf together.
Mort : [On phone] Alright.
Ken : [He picks up a gun from his suitcase and checks it] Bring the manuscript. Bring your bruises. [He walks] I’m gonna push the guy hard. Make it so that it’s impossible for him to lie. If he’ll tell the po-lice he was threatened too, [He places the gun on the nightstand] then we’ve got something.
Mort : Bowie’s store? Breakfast?
Ken : 9 am sharp. [He picks up the receiver and takes Mort off of speakerphone]
Mort : [On phone] Alright. I’ll see you there.
Ken : And bring your six-gun, pilgrim. [He hangs up] [Mort takes the receiver away from his ear, looks at it suspiciously then replaces it] [He gulps]
Scene 21 : Setting : Mort’s Cabin : Characters : Mort Rainey.
[Mort lies in his bed, sadly thinking]
Mort : It is a good ending. [He places his hands behind his neck and thinks for another moment] [Then he sits up. He flexes his jaw] [He scowls] Oh, Shit. [He gets out of bed and puts on his bathrobe]
[Light pours through the Secret Window as the shot moves closer and closer to it] [The clock ticks] [Mort is sleeping on the couch. He stirs, then stretches] [He wakes up and glances at his watch] Shit! [He gets up from the couch] [He looks around, and spots his jacket on the floor] [As he puts it on, he notices that his car keys are missing from the key rack on the wall. He looks at it suspiciously, then pats himself down. But he returns no key from his search] [He puts on his tuque] [Opens the front door, to reveal Shooter’s hat lying on the porch] [He looks around trying to spot Shooter, but doesn’t find him] Beep beep beep beep… [The driver’s door of his car is wide open and the car is beeping away] [He looks around again, then walks over to the car] [He approaches slowly, then sits in the car, being careful to touch nothing] [He quickly shuts off the motor] [Looks around the car, then spots some cigarette butts in the ashtray] [He eyes them carefully, then picks one up] [Studies it] Pall Mall. [He replaces it] Cracker bastard. [He goes back into the house, opens up a garbage bag and gathers the hat inside] [He puts the bag with the hat on the passenger seat in the car, starts it up and closes the door]
Scene 22 : Setting : Bowie’s Store : Characters : Mort Rainey, Greta Bowie, Busboy.
[Mort walks up to the entrance of Bowie’s Store, holding the garbage bag] [He tries to open the door, but it will not budge. He tries the other door and it opens. It slams behind him and everyone looks at him]
Mort : Sorry.. [He walks to the store’s aisles] Ken? [He walks to a different aisle] Tom? [But no one appears] [He goes up to the counter, sits at a stool, and throws the garbage bag on the counter]
[The man sitting on his side gives Mort a dirty look] [Mort puts the bag on the stool next to him] [He looks around, and notices the busboy opening a box of Pall Mall’s]
Busboy : [The boy sees Mort staring] Would you like a pack? [His mouth full of food as he speaks]
Mort : [Is caught offguard] I don’t smoke. [Greta comes with a pot of coffee and pours it] Did a guy come in here looking for me around 9 o’clock?
Greta : [Looks up at him] Nope. [Shakes her head]
Mort : Big guy.. kind of a New York cop type?
Greta : [Looks up] No.. no. That doesn’t ring a bell.
Mort : I overslept.
Greta : Well, maybe he did too. ‘Cause he wasn’t here.
Mort : [Nods] Yeah..
Scene 23 : Setting : The Gas Station : Characters : Mort Rainey, Ted Milner.
[Mort drives down a road] [He passes a gas station and spots Ted at the pump] [He stops, thinks and taps his finger on the seat, then decides to go back] [He backs the car up into the gas station, stops] [Ted looks at Mort’s car and replaces the gas pump into the holder] [mort gets out]
Mort : What are you doing here?
Ted : Matter of fact, I was-I was just on my way over to your place.
Mort : Where’s your buddy?
Ted : Came alone.
Mort : Sure you did. [He advances, and looks off to the side] [He breathes in and out] I know what you’re up to.
Ted : Uh.. [He leans on his car] Look Mort.. uh.. A lot of what’s going on right now is my fault.. Most of it, in fact.
Mort : What do you want?
Ted : I want you out of our life. [He reaches into the car’s window] [He pulls out divorce papers] Gotta sign your papers Mort. [He slaps them onto the back of the car]
Mort : [He looks at the papers and nudges them] My divorce papers?
Ted : Mmhmm.
Mort : Tell her to send them to my lawyer.
Ted : Yeah. Well she did and, he said that you won’t return his calls for weeks.
Mort : That’s what this is all about? Gettin me to sign the settlement?
Ted : No, no. Just calm down.
Mort : Money! All about money.
Ted : No, it’s not about money. No. What this is about.. is getting this thing done. ‘Cause I’m afraid if we don’t, well, who knows where it might go and I think you know what I’m talking about.
Mort : Well, Teddy. I think I do, but here’s the problem : I don’t respond well to intimidation, makes me feel.. [Shrugs shoulders] icky. You know.. [He pushes Ted]
Ted : Whoa. Heh heh. [Mort advances further] You know, I’m attempting to have a normal conversation, here.
Mort : I buried my dog, Mister! [Ted looks bewildered] This whole thing is out of your control now. You know it, and I know it. You started this shit. I’m gonna finish it. Now do me a favor, go back and tell that your filthy little friend [He pushes Ted in the face with 3 fingers]
Ted : [Ted tries to punch Mort, but Mort moves out of the way and Ted hits the closed window] Aghhh! God!
Mort : [Looks at him and walks off] Bummer, Ted. [Ted holds his arm]
Scene 24 : Setting : The Living Room : Characters : Mort Rainey, John Shooter.
[Mort enters his cabin, shuts the door and places his keys on the key rack on the wall] [He takes Shooter’s hat out of the garbage bag and throws the hat on the coffee table] [He walks, takes his tuque off and pushes back his hair] Phone rings [Mort stops in his tracks, turns around, and stares at the phone which is covered by Shooter’s hat] Phone rings [He starts over] Phone rings [He sits on the couch and takes the hat off of the phone] Phone rings
Mort : Yeah.
Shooter : [On phone] Go to where we met, the other day. Walk down the path a little way.
Mort : Why?
Shooter : [On phone] I’ll catch up with you this afternoon. Anybody you call between now and then is your responsibility. [He hangs up] [Mort places the receiver back slowly, thinking]
Scene 25 : Setting : Outside : Characters : Mort Rainey, John Shooter, Tom Greenleaf, Ken Karsch.
[Mort runs down the path] [He stops dead at the clearing, seeing Tom Greenleaf’s truck] [He walks forward, breathing heavily. His pace slows as he gets closer. He looks at the truck]
Mort : [Advances slowly and sees Tom] Tom? Greenleaf?
[Comes up to the open window and sees Tom Greenleaf with a screwdriver of Mort’s sticking out of his head] [He coughs and gags] [He spots a bloody axe on the passenger’s seat] [Blood is all over the truck] [He raises his head up and looks through the rear window. He spots Ken with his throat severed] [Mort backs away from the track] [His heart starts to beat quickly. He turns around and sees a squirrel in a tree. The squirrel chatters. Mort waits for the squirrel to continue up the tree, and his heart to slow down. but it never happens] [Mort’s head begins spinning and he passes out of the ground] [After some hours, he wakes up] [He opens his eyes, bolts upright and tries to see what time it is on his watch, but his vision is blurry]
Shooter : Quarter past 2. [Mort rushes to his feet, grabbing the truck for support, and tries to run, but he falls down] You’ve been out about 3 hours. Your leg’s sleepin’. you laid on the damn thing. He gets up again, but falls down. He gets up and hops away] Now I would’ve moved you, but I didn’t want to wake you. Got tired of waitin’. Almost pinned a note on you. Decided not to. [He cleans his fingers] You scare too easy. I wouldn’t go too far if I were you. I hooked you to those 2 men in more ways than you know. [Mort limps further away from Shooter]
Mort : You’re insane. I’m going to the police.
Shooter : Who’s screwdriver you think is in that fella’s head? [Mort stops] If you leave ‘em here and I disappear, you gonna find yourself standing with your head in the noose and your feet in crisco.
Mort : What do you want from me?
Shooter : [He walks towards Mort] Why, I told you that already, Mr. Rainey. I want you to fix my story. The one you stole. Or ain’t you ready to admit it yet.
Mort : I did not steal [He turns to Shooter] your story.
Shooter : [Shooter stays where he is and cleans his fingers] Oh, I expect you to let yourself [He spits on his hand] go to Greenhaven for murder before you’ll admit it. [He looks up at Mort]
Mort : I have the magazine you lunatic! I have the magazine! I have the goddamn magazine!
Shooter : [He advances] You have this so-called magazine right now?
Mort : On me, no. I was gonna go pick it up at 3 o’clock.
Shooter : There can’t be any magazine! Not with that story in it. That story is mine!
Mort : [He goes up to Shooter] What do you want? You wanna kill me? Why don’t you just do it. Just kill me.
Shooter : No sir! These others here [He turns and points to the truck] were going to get in our way of our business! [He turns back to Mort] I couldn’t have that! [He looks at Mort] You bring me that story. If it exists. [He moves around Mort] Your house in 2 hours. You got some heavy lifting here first, I’d get to that if I were you. [He walks away] By the way. If you talk [He turns around] to that Sheriff of yours again, or if you don’t show up at four o’clock, I will burn your life and every person in it like a cane field in a high wind.
Mort : And when I show you the magazine that has MY name on the contents page with MY story inside.. then what?
Shooter : Then I turn myself in. But I take care of myself before a trial, Mr. Rainey. Because if
things turn out that way, then I suppose I am crazy. And that kind of crazy man, has no reason or excuse to live. [He turns around] Listen. You [He points to Mort] got my hat. I want it. One way or the other. [He walks off]
