Scene 26 : Setting : Outside : Characters : Mort Rainey, Tom Greenleaf, Ken Karsch.
[Mort approaches the truck. He looks through the window disgustedly] [He pulls his sleeve over his hand and opens the passenger door] [He looks at dead Tom and Ken] [The door opens a bit further, causing the truck to shake] [Mort sighs] [He climbs onto the passenger seat, onto the axe] [He pushes it onto the floor] [He goes up close to Tom and looks at him. He breathes in deeply, then blows out the air] [He places his hand up to the handle of the screwdriver, but then chickens out] [He looks at the floor and grabs a piece of wrapping] [His hand advances to the handle of the screwdriver] [Ken’s body falls over]
Mort : [He jumps] Whoa! [He looks at Ken, then proceeds with removing the screwdriver] [His wrapped hand closes over the camera lens] Squish [Mort starts the truck, the parking break goes from P to D] [He slowly guides it down the path] [The truck builds up speed and Mort is now jogging with it] [The truck hits a bump in the road and sends Tom’s head into the horn Hoooonnnkk] [Mort is flustered by it] Oh! [He pushes Tom’s head off of the horn, to see that his hand is caught on the steering wheel by his watch] [Mort shakes his hand, trying to free himself] [The car is just about to go over the cliff] [Mort furiously pulls his hand and manages to get loose just in time before the truck crashes off the cliff and into the water] [Mort catches his balance and prevents himself from going over] [The truck hits the water and sinks below] [Mort watches it disappear]
Scene 27 : Setting : The Living Room : Characters : Mort Rainey, Amy Rainey, Ted Milner.
Phone rings [Mort walks through the front door] Phone rings [He grabs his keys off the key rack on the wall] [He thinks for a moment whether or not he should answer it] [He walks out of the house and closes the door] Phone rings [He walks back in and shuts the door] Phone rings [Mort picks up the receiver]
Mort : Hello?
Amy : [On Phone] Mort.
Mort : [He winces and pulls the receiver away] Aww.. [He puts it back up] Yeah, hi.
Amy : [Amy is lying on the bed] I’ve been so worried about you. Are you okay?
Mort: [Raises his eyebrows] I’m okay, I’m okay, Amy. What?
Amy : [On Phone] Are you sure? [In person] When I saw you yesterday you seemed [Sniffs] so strained. I mean.. [She breathes in]
Mort : What?!!
Amy : [On Phone] Do you..um.. [In person] Do you think things would’ve been different if.. we hadn’t lost the baby?
Mort : [Scowls] Jesus Christ! I don’t.. Amy. I don’t know! [He walks around] Let me call you later. I-I gotta go. I-I gotta be somewhere. [Amy cries] [On Phone] What? What is it, Amy? [In person] Oh, just [Sits down] breathe. Breathe! Take a breath! [Amy sobs] Where are you? You at Ted’s?
Amy : [On Phone] Yeah.
Mort : How we feeling about old Ted, these days?
Amy : [Turns over] I don’t know.. I love him, I guess.
Mort : [His heart breaks] Oh…. That’s good.
Amy : [On Phone] i didn’t go with other men, you know. I always wanted to tell you that. I didn’t go with other men. Only Ted, and only the last few months after you and me were already over.
Mort : Well. If we were already over while we were still together, you might have mentioned it. Because it was news to me.
Amy : That’s because you weren’t there anymore! You were gone all the time!
Mort : I worked at home, Amy!
Amy : That’s not what I mean. [She sits up] Even when you were with me, you were gone up in your head. [On Phone] I don’t think that I looked in your eyes and actually saw you looking back at me, I mean, really with me for the last 2 years.
Mort : You know what? You know what, you’re right. You’re absolutely right. It’s all my fault.
Amy : [On Phone] No. [In person] I was a chickenshit. [She wipes her nose with a Kleenex] Ted wanted us to go and tell you together. He kept asking and I kept putting it off. [On Phone] I’ll never forget that look on your face.. [Flashback to Mort screaming at Amy and Ted]
Ted : Get out! Get out!
Mort : You know what? I gotta go.
Amy : [On Phone] No Mort, wait. Can’t we just—Mort : No! N.. I-I’ve gotta go!
Amy : Will you call me if you need me? [Ted enters the room]
Mort : [On Phone] I doubt it.
Amy : [On Phone] Can I come up there?
Mort : Why on earth would you do that, Amy?
Amy : [Breathes in] You still haven’t signed the papers yet, Mort. [Mort lowers his head] [On Phone] I know you don’t want to deal with it. I don’t wanna deal with it either. [Mort laughs, and pushes back his hair] But, c’mon, everything’s been negotiated. We don’t disagree on a thing. I don’t understand why you won’t sign. Do you wanna just get it over with?
Mort : [He shakes his head and smiles] Unbelievable… You were worried about me and I believed you… What an idiot..
Amy : [On Phone] I am worried! [On Phone] You sound like you did six months ago and I think it’s my fault. It’s my fault. And I wish I could take it back, but I can’t.
Mort : Well then, I guess you shouldn’t have fucked him then! [He slams the receiver down] [Amy jumps, and turns off her phone] [Mort flexes his jaw, and walks out of the house, slamming the door] [Amy grabs her jacket out of the closet and puts it on]
Ted : [Looks up from his reading] You’re not going up there!
Amy : I’m not going to dance around this anymore. [She walks forward and adjusts her jacket] Once he signs the papers it’ll be over. [She rummages through some papers on a desk] We won’t have to have these horrible conversations every other day.
Ted : Yeah, well. I’m going with you.
Amy : It’s just.. I really think I should go alone, Ted. [Amy looks for something in the cabinet under the sink] [Ted comes into the kitchen]
Ted : Well, that makes no sense..
Amy : Just the sight of you is going to send him. [She grabs her bag, and steps forward, but is blocked by Ted’s arm in the way] I was married to the guy for 10 years. I know how to talk to him. All I want is for this be over. [She looks at Ted, and pushes his arm out of the way] Excuse me. [She walks off] I’ll be back around 7. [She opens the door and leaves]
Ted : [Follows her to the door, and slams his bad hand on a beam] Agghhhh! [He stumbles around]
Scene 28 : Setting : The Post Office : Characters : Mort Rainey, Juliet Stoker, Dave Newsome, Ted Milner.
[A UPS truck pulls away to reveal the post office] [Mort gets out of his car, pulling on his face]
Dave : Hey! Mr. Rainey! I’d like to—Mort : [He puts his finger up and continues to the post office] Yeah, yeah, yeah. [He steps in]
Juliet : Hey! Mr. Rainey! [Mort flexes his jaw and steps up to the desk] Mr. Rainey, are you alright?
Mort : [He turns his sick expression into a smile] I’m sorry, my throat just kinda double-clutched on me there for a second.
Juliet : You’re very pale.
Mort : Yeah.. Thank you…. did the.. um.. UPS guy drop anything off for me?
Juliet : [Goes over to the back and picks up a package] Just the one thing.
Mort : [Thinks she said something else and looks shocked] Pardon me?
Juliet : [She places the package on the counter] Just the one thing, I said.
Mort : [Takes the package and is relieved] Oh, uh.. Thank you. [He turns away]
Juliet : Welcome. You know, post office would have a cow if they know that we handled the UPS guy’s stuff.
Mort : [Turns to her] I know that, and I certainly appreciate it. [He turns away again]
Juliet : You won’t tell them, will you?
Mort : [He turns and smiles at her] No way. [He walks away]
Juliet : Good….. ‘Cause I saw what you did.
Mort : [He looks turns around and looks shocked] I’m sorry?
Juliet : I said they’d shoot me if you did. [Mort looks slightly relieved] You ought to go home and lie down, Mr. Rainey. You really don’t look well at all.
Mort : Yeah.. that’s.. that’s a good idea. [He walks off]
Juliet : Ooh. cute. [Mort hurriedly goes back to his car and gets in] [He is about to open the package, when he sees Dave Newsome coming toward his car. He rushes to start it up, but doesn’t make it in time]
Dave : [Leans into his window] Got a minute?
Mort : Well.. no. I really don’t right now. But.. uh… I’ll give you a call later.
Dave : [Nods] Okay. Sure. [He takes his head out of Mort’s window]
Mort : [Mort backs out, then passes Dave and slows down] [He points at Dave] I’m gonna call you on the phone, okay? [He takes off]
Dave : [Watches him drive off] [Nods] Okay.
[Back at Ted’s house, Ted sits down, playing with his car keys in his hand. He thinks] [He sighs and gets up and leaves the house]
Scene 29 : Setting : In Mort’s Car : Characters : Mort Rainey.
[Mort pulls into his driveway] [He stops the car and picks up the package lying on the passenger seat] [He looks at it. It is partially open. He looks at it in fear and touches on the tab] [He rips it open and pulls out the magazine, throws the envelope on the passenger seat]
Mort : [He looks at the magazine] 1995. [He flips to the contents page] Contents.. [He traces his finger to Secret Window] 83. [He flips the pages quickly] 83. [He flips some more, then stops] 81. [He turns the page] 82. [He looks to the next page] 99. [He looks at the page numbers, flips back, then forward] 99? [He turns the magazine on a slant and sees that there are pages that are cut out of the spine] You cut it out.. [He traces his finger down the spine] You son of a bitch. [He looks at the open magazine] You….. cut it.. out of the magazine..
Mort’s Voice : Wait a minute, how would he do that?
Mort : I don’t know… But he did it.
Mort’s Voice : Think about it. [Mort closes the magazine] How?
Mort : I don’t know. [He gets out of the car]
Scene 30 : Setting : The Living Room : Characters : Mort Rainey, Mort Rainey.
[Shooter’s hat sits on the coffee table] [Mort enters the cabin, breathes out and sits on the couch] [Looks down at the hat and swallows] [He picks up the hat, turns it upside down, and looks at it] [He suddenly puts in on his head] [Flexes his jaw] [He stands up and walks slowly to the mirror] [He looks at himself, adjusts the hat]
Mort : Why’d you put it on?
Mort : [Still touching the hat] I dunno..
Mort : Maybe he wanted you to.
Mort : [He stops touching the hat] Why would he want me to put his hat on?
Mort : Maybe he wants you to…
Mort : [He turns around] Maybe he wants me to what?
Mort : [Moves his fingers around his head] To get confused.
Mort : Oh, I’m already confused, pilgrim. [He takes the hat off] Plenty confused. [He walks away] So don’t talk to me about confusion.
Mort : Wait a minute, now [He takes off his glasses and polishes them with his jacket] back up just a sec. What about that?
Mort : [He turns away and takes off his jacket] What about what? [He walks away]
Mort : Well, pilgrim, Shooter’s Bay, and a half a dozen other details you’ve chosen to ignore. [He appears, leaning on the couch]
Mort : [He puts on his bathrobe] You know what? You’re nuts. [He walks away] I don’t need to listen to this shit from you.
Mort : [Appears in front of him] Are all these things coincidences? [He puts his glasses back on]
Mort : I’m wearing his bruises, aren’t I? Aren’t I?
Mort : Are you?
Mort : Well… [He rolls up his sleeve to reveal nothing] [He becomes confused] this doesn’t make any sense.. [He walks away]
Mort : [Appears in front of him] Would you like to hear something that does make sense? Call the police. [Mort turns away, but Mort appears in front of him holding the phone receiver] Call Dave Newsome, tell him to get down here right this second and lock you up before you can do any more damage.
Mort : I’m gonna get a knife and cut you out of me.
Mort’s Voice : [Disappears] Before you kill anyone else.
Mort : [He puts his head in his hands] I didn’t kill anybody.. [Flashback to Mort yelling at Amy and Ted] [Flashback to Mort entering the room, holding a gun]
Mort’s Voice : You had a gun.
Mort : [Still holding his head] Wasn’t loaded..
Mort : Really?
Mort : No no no..
Mort : [He walks to in front of Mort] You almost killed them. You wanted to.
Mort : The gun was not loaded!
Mort : [Smiles] You still want to.
Mort : Shut up!
Mort : [He takes Mort’s hands] Listen to me, because this is how it happens. This is happens to people.
Mort : [He looks up at Mort] Shut up!
Mort : There is no John Shooter.
Mort : [Turns away and looks up] Ra.. ra..?
Mort : There never has been. You invented him.
Mort : Ra! ra..!
Mort : Listen to me, [Mort looks like he’s about to explode] not to him. Before it’s too late.
Mort : Leave me alone! [He picks up the silex and hurls it at the wall] Huuu! Crash [The lamp falls off the table]
Mort’s Voice : You are alone..
[ Mort Advances to the dent in the wall] [The dent begins to crack the wall, and the whole cabin splits down the middle] [Mort follows the crack] [Mort looks down]
Mort’s Voice : You’re not handling this.. What you’re doing is—Everything you’re doing is wrong –is wrong. You’ve been eating potato chips this way for 30 years.. Everything you’re doing is wrong.. For 30 years.. For 30 years.. [Mort catches a glance of himself in the mirror, but it is of his back even though he is standing in front of it] [He advances slowly to the mirror] ..Sister found out about the broken window. And the school had to be withdrawn from the competition… Sister found out about the broken windows.. out of the competitioncompetition.. Then she got up from the table. We didn’t talk for the rest of the night.. rest of the night… [He is right up in front of the mirror, but he is looking at the back of himself] Todd Downey thought that a woman [He turns away from the mirror and looks around] who would steal your love– What does Todd Downey have to do with it?.. Everything.. I’m starting to believe that Todd Downey was right.. Everything that you’re doing is wrong. [He turns back to the mirror]
Mort : What is happening to me?
Scene 31 : Setting : The Living Room : Characters : Mort Rainey, John Shooter, Tom Greenleaf, Ken Karsch.
Shooter’s Voice : Oh, I think you know. I think you have a real good idea.
Mort : You don’t exist.
Shooter : [Descends the stairs] Me? I exist Mr. Rainey. I exist, because.. you made me.
[Flashback to Mort at a flea market trying on the hat in a mirror, Amy standing behind]
Mort : Check it out!
Shooter’s Voice : You thought me up.
Mort : [He goes up close to the mirror] I’m a dairy farmer from Mississippi.
Shooter : [Comes down the stairs] Gave me my name, told me everything you wanted me to do. [Flashback of Mort lighting the champagne bottle, tossing it in the study, walking off wearing the hat, and the whole house going up in flames] [Mort thinks] I did them things.. so you wouldn’t have to. [Flashback to Mort riding in Tom Greenleaf’s truck with Ken]
Mort : [Points to the spot where Tom had honked the other day] Right up there, Tom. We were standing right there.
Tom : [Ken looks suspicious] Yeah, I know Mort. I saw ya. I didn’t want to say it in front of him, but you were alone. [Flashback in flashback to Tom honking at Mort who is alone in the clearing honk honk honk]
Mort : I know, Tom. Look, just pull over there for a second. I wanna show you something. [Shot moves down to reveal that Mort is holding a screwdriver and an axe]
Shooter’s Voice : [Mort thinks some more, a disgusted look on his face] You didn’t have the stomach to do it yourself, but you knew I did. [Flashback to Mort stabbing Ken with the axe in the throat and stabbing Tom in the head with the screwdriver] Are we done yet? We got things all cleaned up around here? [Shooter comes over]
Shooter : What’s the real reason I come for?
Mort : Fix the story.
Shooter : That’s right.
Mort : Fix the ending. Gotta fix the ending.
Shooter’s Voice : And how do you suppose we ought ta do that? [Shooter places the hat to Mort’s chest]
Scene 32 : Setting : The Living Room : Characters : Mort Rainey, Amy Rainey, Ted Milner.
[A car approaches the house] [The shot pulls through the mirror to a car stopping in the driveway. The door opens and Amy comes out]
Amy : Mort? [She looks around and closes the car door] [She walks, but something is on her shoe] [She looks down, picks it up. It is a page from the magazine] [She looks confused] [She hears a noise, looks down and sees pages blowing away from Mort’s car] [She walks forward, to the front door] [She lifts her hand to knock, hesitates, then knocks knock knock knock She looks down knock knock knock] [The door opens a bit, she opens it up]
Amy : Mort? Are you there? I saw your car outside. [She swallows and pushes the door open] Hello? [She steps inside. The house has been totaled] [She looks around, puts her bag down, and sighs] Mort? [She walks over to the corner and looks around] Chico? [She walks away and looks up. She sees the dent in the wall] [She looks to the coffee table and sees a bottle of Jack Daniels and a pack of Pall Mall’s] [She goes over and nudges the bottle] That explains a lot.. [She walks over to the window] What the hell? Floorboards creak from above [She looks all around the cabin] [She goes up the stairs, stepping on the magazine] [She looks around the top floor] [Walks over to the table, there is a doll that looks exactly like her, the manuscript, the slinky, and some other papers] [She picks up the manuscript] [“John Shooter” She reads] [She notices something on the table. “Shooter” 5 times in a row is carved into the wood] [She puts the manuscript back down] [Her eyes go to the window, “Shooter” is written in white. “Shooter” is carved into the coffee table. “Shooter” is carved in the walls all around her] Creak [The door opens, revealing Mort wearing the hat]
Amy : [Jumps and Gasps] [“Shoot Her” is carved around him on the walls] [Amy covers her mouth and gasps] [Mort raises his eyes to look at her. He looks very mysterious] H-H-H-Hi. [Mort stares at her angrily] [Amy comes closer] Jesus, Mort. [She looks down at the front door which is open] W-Where-Where did you get that old thing? The attic?
Mort : [In a southern accent] It’s mine. Wasn’t ever anybody else’s.
Amy : [Backs away a bit] [She breathes out] M-Mort.. What’s wrong?
Mort : [Advances to her] You got you a wrong number, missus. [He puts his hand on the back of her head and takes out her ponytail] [She moves away from him, down the stairs] Ain’t no Mort here. Mort’s dead. [He advances, and she backs away down the stairs] He did a whole lot of squirmin’ around but in the end, he couldn’t lie to himself anymore. Let alone, to me. Now, I never put a hand on him, Misses. I swear. He took the cowards way out.
Amy : Why are you talking this way, Mort?
Mort : It’s just the way I talk.
Amy : You’re scaring me..
Mort : It don’t matter. [He pulls out a pair of scissors from behind his back] You won’t be scared long.
Amy : [Gasps] [Mort grabs at her hair with the scissor, pulling out a chunk of it] Ahhh! [She hits him in the face] [He falls down, the hat coming off his head] [Amy grabs her bag and runs out of the house] [She drops the bag and gets into the car and locks the door] [Mort slowly gets up, and puts the hat back on. The scissors with the hair are in his hand] [Amy mumbles to herself and tries to get the car going] [Mort puts the scissors down on the porch and picks up the rock with 3 fingers] [Amy struggles to get the car to go] [She looks up. Mort is walking to the car] [The car is stalling and won’t go] [Smash he breaks the window with the rock] [He reaches in to get her] [She releases the parking brake and the car backs up, Mort hanging in the window trying to pull her out] [He pulls her through the window, the car hits a tree] [She drops on the ground. He drags her by the back of the jacket] Help! [He drags her through the front door]
Mort : I’m about done fussin’ with you. [He drags her over to the table and grabs the screwdriver] [He plunges it into her right ankle]
Amy : Ahhhhhhh! [She turns around and kicks him in the face] [He falls down] [He gets up] [Amy gets up and walks to the door, leaving a trail of blood on the floor] [Mort kicks her out of the house] Ahh! [She lands on her head on a rock] Agh! Huugh..
Mort : [Comes out of the house] I am so sorry, Missus. But right is right, and fair is fair and something.. has got to be done. [He takes a shovel] [Amy looks up at him and struggles to breathe. Her face is all bloody and dirty] [He walks over to her] By the way, I want you to know that none of this was my idea, it was Mr. Rainey all along. [He hovers over her]
Amy : [Grabs his pant leg] But you are.. Mort.. Rainey.
Mort : [Smiles, his lip is cut open and there is blood on his face and in his mouth] I got a place for ya.
Amy : You are.. Mort.. Rainey!
Mort : I got it all picked out.
Amy : … You are Mort.. Rainey.. [She breathes heavily] [Mort hears a noise and looks off to the side and his smile fades] [He turns around] [Then back to Amy] [Her grip slips from his pant leg] uhh.. Mort.. uhhh.. [He walks away] Ohhh! [Mort leans on the side of the house with the shovel] Mort..
Ted : Amy!? [Amy tries to lift her head] Amy!? [He comes through the door] [Amy coughs] Amy!?
Amy : [Whispers] Ted. Teeeeeeddddd! Nooohoho. [Ted pulls open the door] [Bang Mort smashes him in the face with the shovel. Ted’s body falls to the ground] Teeeddd! Ahhhh! Ughh. [Amy sobs] [Mort looks over at her and smiles] [Amy tries to lift herself, but can’t] [Mort shovels Ted] Nooooooooo!
Mort : Uh! Uh! [He repeatedly shovels Ted]
Amy : Nuuhhhh.. [She lies back down] Uh..
Mort : [Comes towards Amy] I know I can do it, Todd Downey said, helping himself to another ear of corn from the steaming bowl. [He advances] [He looks down at her] I’m sure that in time, [He puts the shovel down] her death will be a mystery…. [A shot of the cabin] Even to me.
Scene 33 : Setting : Bowie’s Store : Characters : Mort Rainey, Juliet Stoker, Greta Bowie.
[The shot pans over Tashmore lake]
[Mort enter’s Bowie’s Store, all cleaned up]
Mort : Hi. [He walks and sees Juliet] Hi!
Juliet : [Walks to the counter uncomfortably and puts her stuff down] [She takes out some money] I’m uh.. [She looks over at Mort] kinda late.. [She smiles and gives Greta the money] [Greta does the checkout]
Mort : [Comes up behind Juliet] [He puts his face next to hers] Hi.
Juliet : [She turns around nervously] Hi… yeah…
Mort : [Points to his mouth] Braces..
Juliet : Yeah..
Mort : Getting a few things straightened out. [Juliet nods] Hey, you know, I was kinda wondering if.. um.. sometime you might possibly be interested in—Juliet : I don’t need a bag. [She grabs her stuff and leaves] [Mort watches her go, then he places his stuff on the counter : Salt, Butter, Napkins]
Scene 34 : Setting : The Cabin : Characters : Mort Rainey, Dave Newsome.
[Dave pulls his car into Mort’s driveway] [He gets out and goes to Mort’s front door] [The door is open. He stands in the doorway]
Dave : Mr. Rainey? [He looks around] Your front door is open. I’m coming in. [He steps inside] [He looks to the side and sees a weight lifting thing] [He walks over to the kitchen and sees piles of corn on the counter and corn boiling on the stove] [He turns away] Mr. Rainey? Mort Rainey!?
Mort : [Pops his head over the railing] Oh, hi Dave. I didn’t hear you, come on up. [Dave walks up the stairs] Glad you’re here. I could use the break. Working lunch.. I’m on a roll [Smiles]
Dave : [Nods] Yeah. Listen, both you and I know what you did.
Mort : Oh..
Dave : Maybe we don’t have enough to put you away right now, but eventually.. we’ll find those bodies, we’ll tie you to them. [Mort looks away] And you’re going away. [Mort picks up corn holders] In the meantime, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t come into town anymore. [Mort brushes the holders together] Makes people uncomfortable. You can do your shopping in New London. [Mort rubs an ear of corn in some butter] Did you hear what I said?
Mort : [Turns back and sighs] Sure. No problem. [Dave nods and turns away] You know, [Dave turns back] the only thing that matters.. is the ending. It’s the most important part of the story, the ending. And this one… [He points to his story] [He looks at Dave] ..is very good. This one’s perfect. [Dave looks at him] [Mort flexes his jaw and puts some headphones on]
[The shot moves into the secret window]
Mort’s Voice : 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, every bit of her will be gone, [The shot goes down the corn stocks] and her death will be a mystery. Even to me. [The shot moves lower, then into the earth] [Mort takes a bite of corn]
