Secret Window
[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]
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.
