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ALL SCRIPTS





                      MR BROOKS




                      Written by


           Bruce A Evans & Raynold Gideon






FADE IN:

CLOSE on a Polaroid of a dimly lit COUPLE locked in a sexual
embrace. We cannot see their faces.

                     MR. BROOKS (V.O.)
               (tortured)
           God grant me the Serenity to accept
           the things I cannot change...

Our view travels sensuously down the Woman's naked torso to
find the Man's head buried between her legs.

                     MARSHALL (V.O.)
           Why do you fight it so hard, Earl?

                     MR. BROOKS (V.O.)
           Courage to change the things I
           can...

                     MARSHALL (V.O.)
           Come on, you've been a good boy for
           a long time, you deserve a little
           fun.

Our view moves back up to the Woman's breasts.

                                            DISSOLVE THROUGH
                                            THIS TO:

EARL BROOKS' reflection in a mirror. Earl, in his 40's, has
on a tuxedo. He's in front of a sink in a Public Bathroom and
he's whispering to his image.

                     MR. BROOKS
           ... and Wisdom to know the
           difference.

Picking up speed against the hunger in his head:

                     MR. BROOKS (CONT'D)
           Living one day at a time, Enjoying
           one moment at a time, Accepting
           hardship as a pathway to peace...

From far away comes the sound of applause.

INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT

MEN in tuxedos and WOMEN in gowns.

Mr. Brooks is seated at one of the front tables with his
wife, EMMA, also 40's.


                                                     (CONTINUED)

                                                         2.
CONTINUED:


The audience's hands are coming together for what a MAN at
the microphone has just said.

Mr. Brooks is smiling but not clapping; and although his lips
don't move we can hear:

                       MR. BROOKS (V.O.)
                 (even faster now)
             ... Taking, as He did, this sinful
             world as it is, not as I would have
             it. Trusting that He will make all
             things right if I surrender to His
             will. That I may be reasonably
             happy in this life, And supremely
             happy with Him forever in the next.
             Amen.

The Man at the microphone raises his arms to quiet the
Audience.

                       MAN
             I could go on and on about what a
             great guy Earl is, how he cuts his
             toe nails...

Everyone laughs.

                       MAN
             ... how he gives freely of his time
             and money, but let's get Earl up
             here to speak for himself. Ladies
             and Gentlemen, I give you a
             businessman, a philanthropist, a
             great friend and the Evanston
             Chamber of Commerce Man of the
             Year... Mr. Earl Brooks.

Mr. Brooks kisses Emma, stands and after accepting
congratulations along the way, arrives at the podium.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Thank you all very much. The first
             thing I would like to say is... I
             don't even know how I cut my toe
             nails.

Applause and laughter from the Audience.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Twenty years ago when I started the
             Brooks Box Factory I never dreamed
             I would one day be standing here.

                                                            3.



EXT. STREET - NIGHT

A silver Lexus LS 430 glides past us.

                    EMMA (V.O.)
          Did you see Sis Wallace's dress?

INT. LEXUS Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Brooks is driving. Emma is in the passenger seat. They're
holding hands.

                    EMMA
          You could see her nipples. At her
          age she should keep those things
          hidden.

Mr. Brooks is only listening to his Wife with one ear and
underneath what she is saying we can barely hear:

                    MR. BROOKS (V.O.)
          God grant me the Serenity to
          accept...

                    EMMA
          The only thing that would have made
          this evening more perfect is if
          Jane had been here.

                     MR. BROOKS
          She called. She has mid terms
          coming up.

                    EMMA
          She's dropping out, you know.

                       MR. BROOKS
          We'll see.

                    EMMA
          Nothing she does is wrong to you,
          is it?...

Mr. Brooks doesn't rise to the bait.

                    EMMA
          Well she missed a good party...

As she continues, we look at Mr. Brooks and Emma's voice
fades to a murmur.




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                         4.
CONTINUED:


In the back seat, a Man leans out from behind Mr. Brooks's
head. This is MARSHALL. He's 50 plus.

Emma can neither see nor hear him. Marshall exists only in
Mr. Brooks's mind.

                       MARSHALL
             Come on, Earl, give yourself a
             break, you know you want to do
             this.

                        MR. BROOKS
             No.

                       MARSHALL
             You're the fucking 'man of the
             year', you deserve it. It's not
             like it's not set up. You already
             know how to by-pass the alarm, you
             know how to pick the locks.
             Tonight's the perfect night.

                       MR. BROOKS
                 (over his shoulder)
             No, Marshall, I said 'no'!

                        MARSHALL
             I heard you, Earl, but you don't
             mean 'no'.

Emma feels Mr. Brooks's distance.

                       EMMA
             What's the matter?

Mr. Brooks pulls himself back into the moment.

                        MR. BROOKS
             Nothing.

                       EMMA
             You were frowning.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I was thinking of what I didn't say
             in the speech.

                       EMMA
             They laughed, they were touched, I
             don't think anyone felt left out.




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                         5.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    MARSHALL
              (from the back seat)
          They have their dance class
          tonight. What if we go by and just
          look at them. There's no harm in
          just having a look.

                    MR. BROOKS
          No means 'no', Marshall.

                    MARSHALL
          Please... pretty please.

                    MR. BROOKS
              (to Emma)
          The food tonight was very good, but
          I wasn't crazy about the dessert.
          Would you like to stop somewhere
          and get something sweet?

INT. ICE CREAM PARLOR Ñ NIGHT

In a booth, Mr. Brooks and Emma are sharing a Sundae. Mr.
Brooks steals a look at the Arthur Murray dance class that is
taking place behind the full-length windows fronting the
second floor of the Building across the street.

                    EMMA
          ... Labradors are supposed to be
          nice, or maybe a rescue mutt...

                    MR. BROOKS
          The Pound's a pretty sad place; if
          you want me to, I'll go with you.

                    EMMA
          There's an Irish Lab I read about,
          and I think the breeder is...

Mr. Brooks turns his attention back to the Dancers and again
Emma's voice fades to a murmur.

Both Mr. Brooks and Marshall who is seated on the other side
of Emma are focused on one particular COUPLE.

The Man and Woman are not great dancers nor are they
especially attractive, but Mr. Brooks and Marshall are
fascinated with them.

Marshall leans forward and looking slyly around Emma at Mr.
Brooks:



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                          6.
CONTINUED:


                       MARSHALL
             I bet your dick's getting hard,
             isn't it, just imagining what they
             would look like dead?

Savoring the ice-cream, Mr. Brooks nods.

EXT. BROOKS HOUSE Ñ NIGHT

Two story modern. Not ostentatious, but the elegance of the
line and the grounds say there's big money here.

INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

Through the door of the DRESSING AREA, Emma can be seen
taking off her evening clothes.

Hidden by the darkness on the other side of the bed, Mr.
Brooks is hunched forward on a chair, his head in his hands.
His bow tie is undone, but he's still wearing his Tuxedo. In
obvious torment, he is whispering to himself.

                       MR. BROOKS
             ... I can't do this, I can't do
             this, I can't do this, please don't
             let me do this, God grant me the
             Serenity to accept the things I
             cannot change...

In the DRESSING AREA

Emma is putting on her sleep-wear. Mr. Brooks steps into the
doorway.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I'm going to stay up a while, maybe
             go to the studio and play with some
             glazes.

                       EMMA
             Okay, I'm going to read. If I'm not
             awake, wake me when you come back.

Mr. Brooks comes forward, puts his arms around Emma and hugs
her, then easing back, kisses her.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I thought you were wonderful
             tonight.

                                                           7.



EXT. THE BROOKS HOUSE Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Brooks exits the back door and starts down a path that
leads away from the house.

                    MR. BROOKS
              (to himself)
          Don't do this, don't do this,
          please don't do this, don't do
          this, don't do, please don't do
          this...

He passes through a screen of trees and arrives at a small
beautiful industrial-looking Building.

No windows except for a narrow strip on three sides just
under the edge of the roof.

Mr. Brooks lets himself in with a key.

INT. BUILDING Ñ NIGHT

Exquisitely unique handmade handglazed bowls, vases, cups,
plates are scattered haphazardly on shelves and tables around
the room.

This is Mr. Brooks's CERAMICS STUDIO.

Mr. Brooks turns on the big industrial kiln and sets the
temperature, then in a series of quick cuts changes out of
his tuxedo into his work clothes which he selects from a
dozen identical pairs of khaki shirts and pants hanging in a
closet.

Below the pants and shirts are a dozen pairs of identical
leather work shoes. The windbreaker he puts on is also from a
dozen identical windbreakers.

He takes a set of car keys off a hook next to a door which
opens into a garage. Under the light is an older model non-
descript Toyota.

EXT. CERAMICS STUDIO Ñ NIGHT

The Toyota backs into an alley and with the garage door
closing behind it, pulls away.

INT. TOYOTA Ñ NIGHT

Marshall is up front with Mr. Brooks.




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                            8.
CONTINUED:


                       MARSHALL
             Oh Lordy, Earl my boy, I've missed
             this! We are going to have so much
             fun!

                       MR. BROOKS
             This is the last time, Marshall.
             Understand me?! The very last time!

EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET Ñ NIGHT

A mixture of modest houses and apartment buildings. Mr.
Brooks's Toyota is parked in the semi-dark cast by a tree.

We rise over the car, over the trees, over the houses to the
other side of the block and come down to find Mr. Brooks
working the lock on the side door of a small BUNGALOW.

He has on surgical gloves.

The pick is extracted, the handle turned. The door opens.
There's a chain.

Mr. Brooks removes a pair of bent rubber tipped forceps from
a pocket, inserts it in the chain, pulls the door to, gives
the tool a twist and gently pushes the door inward.

The chain has been released.

INT. BUNGALOW Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Brooks quietly closes the door and holding his breath
stands very still and listens.

There's a faint indistinct sound coming from the recesses of
the house.

Mr. Brooks's feet glide out of the PANTRY. Now coming
slightly behind him is another pair of legs encased in dark
slacks.

Move up; the person in the black slacks is Marshall.

In the middle of the KITCHEN, the sound is now recognizable.
It's the moans of a Couple fucking. This disturbs Mr. Brooks,
he hesitates.

Marshall leans in and hisses fiercely in his ear.




                                                    (CONTINUED)

                                                            9.
CONTINUED:


                       MARSHALL
             Don't you dare quit on me, you
             piece of shit. I want to see what
             they're doing.

Mr. Brooks's spine stiffens and he's going forward again.

Entering a HALLWAY, he reaches into his jacket. When his hand
reappears it's inside a Ziplock bag, his fingers around the
butt of a silenced pistol.

He brings the hand and bag to his mouth and tightens the
Ziplock against his wrist.

The two Men arrive at a door that's slightly ajar. Behind it
the sounds of the love-making are becoming more intense.

Mr. Brooks nudges the door with his foot. It opens enough for
he and Marshall to see the Couple inside.

The Man and Woman from the Arthur Murray dance class are
naked on the bed.

As much as Mr. Brooks hates himself for it he loves watching.
He can now hear his heart beating in his ears.

He begins to breathe in unison with the Couple, but his
expression is distant almost clinical.

When the Couple climaxes, when they come, Mr. Brooks's face
goes blank.

On the bed the Woman rolls off her Partner and the two of
them lie there basking in the afterglow.

Behind them Mr. Brooks pushes the door fully open and slips
into the ROOM. They don't know he's there until he speaks.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Hello.

Both the Man and Woman jump with surprise and look. The Woman
screams and scrabbles at the sheet to cover herself.

                       MAN
             What the fuck?!

Then he sees the gun.

                       MAN
             Hey, man, don't...



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        10.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    MR. BROOKS
              (to the Woman)
          Be quiet and sit up.

In an attempt to get away, the Woman pushes herself back
against the wall. She can't take her eyes off Mr. Brooks and
she can't stop screaming.

POP! A hole appears above her left eye. The impact of Mr.
Brooks's High Velocity .22 slug bounces her head off the
wall. The screaming stops.

The Man opens his mouth and begins to shake. POP! The bullet
through his brain makes him instantly dead and he crumples
onto the Girl.

Mr. Brooks looks at what he's done. His nostrils flare at the
scent of death. Then he moves, he's got work to do. On his
way to the bed, the pistol goes into his pocket.

                    MARSHALL (O.S.)
              (barks)
          Whoa, Earl, what the fuck is
          this?!!

Mr. Brooks snaps a look.

The curtains of the bedroom window are open; and over half of
the Apartments in a four story Building on the other side of
an alley can see into this room.

Most of their windows are dark. And there's no one looking
out of the windows that are lit.

                    MARSHALL
          These pigs liked to fuck with the
          blinds open, you should have known
          that, Earl. This is a big mistake
          for you, Earl.

                    MR. BROOKS
              (going to the window)
          Almost like I want to get caught,
          huh, Marshall?

                     MARSHALL
          Well, don't fucking do that. I
          don't think either of us would
          enjoy spending the rest of our
          lives in jail or a lethal
          injection.



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                          11.
CONTINUED: (3)


                      MR. BROOKS
          Yes, sir.

He grabs a side of cloth in either hand and yanks the
curtains closed.

                                         CUT TO:

CLOSE on a Polaroid of the dance Couple in a sexual pose. The
attitude of the bodies is awkward and very reminiscent of the
ones in the Polaroid we opened the movie with.

INT. CERAMICS STUDIO Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Brooks is kneeling naked in front of the kiln where his
murder clothes are being reduced to ash.

Arranged on the floor are Polaroids of the dance Couple in
sexual positions.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Please forgive me... Please forgive
          me...

As we look closer at the Photographs we realize by a smear of
blood here and there and the distortion of the limbs that
these tableaus were arranged after the Couple was killed.

One by one, Mr. Brooks picks up his souvenirs. He lingers
over the last image; and from where he's sitting on the edge
of a table:

                     MARSHALL
          Don't even think about it. You know
          the rules.

Reluctantly Mr. Brooks throws the Polaroids into the fire of
the kiln.

                    MARSHALL
          Now go up and make love to your
          beautiful wife.

He leaves. In the kiln, the Polaroids burst into flame.

EXT. MURDER HOUSE Ñ AFTERNOON

The sunlight exposes its charm.

If it weren't for the Police tape, the UNIFORMED OFFICERS,
and the PLAINCLOTHES DETECTIVES, it looks like it would be a
cool place to live.


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        12.
CONTINUED:


An OLDER DETECTIVE, an African-American, comes out on the
porch and calls to two other DETECTIVES who are drinking
coffee on the lawn:

                       OLDER DETECTIVE
             Where the fuck is Atwood?!

                       YOUNG DETECTIVE
             I called ten minutes ago, they said
             she was on her way.

                       OLDER DETECTIVE
             She doesn't get here soon, these
             bodies won't even be dead anymore?

A Uniformed Cop standing guard at the tape:

                       COP
             You looking for the lady Cop?

                       OLDER DETECTIVE
             Yeah.

                       COP
             She's here. She's been sitting in
             her car right over there for the
             last half hour.

                       OLDER DETECTIVE
             Oh, Christ.

EXT. ATWOOD'S CAR Ñ AFTERNOON

Special Detective TRACY ATWOOD, somewhere in her 30's, is
behind the wheel. The door is open.

By the expression on her face we might guess that Detective
Atwood has simply forgotten to get out of the car.

On the seat next to her is a copy of the Chicago Tribune. The
headline of a middle article on the first page reads: THE
HANGMAN ESCAPES.

Move up to Atwood's face. The Older Detective followed by the
Younger Detective approaches.

                       OLDER DETECTIVE
             You thinking of joining us anytime
             soon, Atwood?

Atwood doesn't look at the Detectives for a long beat and
when she does her expression is not friendly.


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                         13.
CONTINUED:


                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             I really hated yesterday, Snyder,
             and then today came along.

As she gets out of the car, the Men notice the bandages on
her wrists and falling into step with her on the way to the
house.

                       SNYDER (OLDER DETECTIVE)
             What happened to your wrists?

Atwood holds up her hands to reveal the extent of the
bandages.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             I tried to commit suicide.

The Young Detective laughs. Atwood whirls on him.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             What's so funny?

                       YOUNG DETECTIVE
             Eh... I... I don't know, I heard it
             was because you were drunk and got
             into a fight with a fish tank.

Atwood sticks her finger into the Young Detective's chest.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Who are you gonna believe? Me or
             the fucking fish?!

                          YOUNG DETECTIVE
             Eh... you.

                          DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Good.

Atwood turns and leaves the Men.

                       YOUNG DETECTIVE
                 (under his breath)
             She's nuts!

                          SNYDER
             And rich.

They catch up to Atwood who has squatted down to examine the
lock on the front door.




                                                    (CONTINUED)

                                                         14.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    SNYDER
          There are some scratches in the
          side door cylinder. Other than that
          no signs of forced entry. The alarm
          was armed and we even had to cut
          the security chains to get in.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
              (straightens up)
          This guy hasn't been active for
          over two years...

She enters the house.

INT. MURDER HOUSE Ñ AFTERNOON

From the way Atwood looks at her surroundings as she crosses
the Living Room we get the feel that this Woman misses
nothing.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          ... we think he's either dead or in
          jail on some other charge. This is
          probably a copycat.

Detective Snyder points her down the Hall toward the Bedroom
and follows.

                    SNYDER
          That's why we called you. You're
          the God that tells us peons if we
          have a simple murder here or
          something we can dump on you.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Bite yourself.

Atwood arrives in the doorway of the BEDROOM where the
murders took place and stops.

The Bodies of the dance Couple are now on the floor. The Man
is propped up against the bed in a sitting position. The
Woman has her head in the Man's crotch.

Almost like Mr. Brooks, Atwood's nostrils flare, but in
Atwood's case it's not the scent of death that arouses her
but it's like she's searching for the scent of her prey.

In a glance she memorizes the Room, then steps inside.

                                                           15.



INT. BEDROOM Ñ AFTERNOON

The Crime Scene TECHNICIANS shift to accommodate Atwood's
inspection.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
              (indicating the Victims)
          He always rearranges the bodies,
          but this is out of character. He
          has never left them in such a crude
          position. Usually it's more
          romantic with their arms around
          each other, kissing, their mouths
          open, their tongues touching.

                    SNYDER
          So we have a copycat?

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Where are the thumbprints?

Snyder points to a bare space of wall above the bed. Atwood
leans in to look at two bloody 'thumbprints' placed side by
side.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          One his one hers?

                    SNYDER
          That's what it looks like.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          What's that?

There are two holes gouged into the plaster of the wall.

                     SNYDER
          The bullets went completely through
          the victims. The killer recovered
          the slugs.

Atwood unfolds and after another look around the room goes to
the window and cracks the curtains.

There's the four story Apartment Building across the alley,
its windows staring down at her.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Were these open or closed when you
          got here?




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                         16.
CONTINUED:


                       SNYDER
             Closed.

Atwood tries the cord, the curtains are stuck.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Hmm...

She returns her attention to the murder scene.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             It has never been revealed to the
             public that the Thumbprint Killer
             retrieves the slugs.

                       SNYDER
             So this one's yours.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             I don't fucking need this.

She doubles back and cracks the curtains for another look at
the four story Apartment Building.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Have you checked the tenants of
             that building?

                       SNYDER
             Only a few of them are home, they
             say they didn't see anything. We
             checked the whole neighborhood, so
             far nobody saw a thing.

Atwood nods and turns back to the bodies.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Leaving them like this, he must
             have been angry at them for some
             reason.

She reaches down and runs a hand over the carpet.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Where would they keep their vacuum
             cleaner.

A puzzled Snyder follows her out of the room.

INT. PANTRY Ñ AFTERNOON

Atwood opens a service closet. There's the Vacuum Cleaner.


                                                    (CONTINUED)

                                                           17.
CONTINUED:


                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             I'll bet you a hundred bucks,
             Snyder, there is no bag in that
             vacuum cleaner.

                       SNYDER
             I have no idea what you're looking
             for.

Atwood unzips the cover. There is no bag inside.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             He vacuumed the house and took the
             bag.

                       SNYDER
             Oh, shit. That is scary smart.

EXT. ALLEY Ñ AFTERNOON

Detective Atwood is standing on an empty capped plastic
gallon milk carton looking over the fence into the back yard
of the Murder House. Snyder has his hand on her back to
steady her.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Okay.

He releases her. She hops down and directs her attention at
the four story Apartment Building.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Our best hope is if someone in
             there saw something.

A MAN comes out from behind the next door fence and strides
purposefully toward them.

                       MAN
             Detective Tracy Atwood?

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Yes.

                       MAN
             This is for you.

She accepts the official looking document being offered.

                       MAN
             You have been served.



                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        18.
CONTINUED:


                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             You fucking asshole!! I'm in the
             middle of a fucking murder
             investigation!!

                       MAN
                 (backing away)
             Hey, take it easy lady, I'm just
             the messenger.

                          DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Goddamit!!

                       SNYDER
             What is it?

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             My soon to be ex-husband's scumbag
             lawyer is trying to show me how
             painful she can make my life if I
             don't give them what they want.

                       SNYDER
             This is not the Doctor.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             The doctor was a couple years ago.
             This one is my stupid mistake.

INT. CHURCH HALL Ñ DAY

An AA Meeting is getting started. Mr. Brooks is one of the
ASSEMBLED. The LEADER steps into the semicircle of Men and
Women.

                       LEADER
             Are there any new members?

A WOMAN comes forward.

                        WOMAN
             Hi, my name is Vaughn and I'm an
             alcoholic.

She rejoins the circle. Mr. Brooks separates himself from the
Others.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Hi, my name is Earl and I'm an
             addict.

When he rejoins the circle, Marshall is there to greet him.


                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        19.
CONTINUED:


                       MARSHALL
             You're such a fucking hypocrite. If
             you were honest you would step out
             there and say 'Hi, I'm Earl. I
             killed two people last night and I
             really got off on it, but I need
             your help to be cured.'

                       MR. BROOKS
             I'm different Marshall, I won't
             argue that with you. This is the
             only place that has ever helped me
             be normal and I've been straight up
             until last night for the past two
             years. I'm not going to kill again
             and I'm not going to quit coming
             here because it upsets you.

                       MARSHALL
             Yeah but for the next 29 days
             you're going to have to step out
             there and say 'Hi, I'm Earl, I'm an
             addict.' And everybody will know
             you fell off the wagon. Don't you
             feel stupid doing that?

                       MR. BROOKS
             No. I feel good.

EXT. INDUSTRIAL SECTION OF CHICAGO Ñ DAY

A Cab arrives at the Front Entrance of the BROOKS BOX
FACTORY, a long three story brick Building.

A YOUNG WOMAN, 19, is dropped off along with an assortment of
luggage and boxes.

INT. BROOKS BOX FACTORY Ñ DAY

It's loud. We follow a thin piece of cardboard as one machine
deals it off the bottom of a stack into the maw of another
machine.

That machine prints one side of the cardboard blue.

It is handed off to the third machine which cuts the flaps.
The fourth machine folds and glues those flaps and spits the
piece of cardboard out onto a conveyor belt as a box.

Wearing safety glasses and ear protectors along with his
business suit, Mr. Brooks picks up the box and hands it to
one of three similarly attired MEN, standing nearby.


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                         20.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. BROOKS
             This is not the top of the line or
             the bottom, but for the money we're
             talking about this is the quality I
             can provide you.

As Mr. Brooks talks the Men pass the box between them.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Your packaging is the first
             impression your customers will have
             of your product...

                       PA SYSTEM
             Mr. Brooks, your daughter is
             waiting for you in your office.

A surprised Mr. Brooks grabs a quick look at the PA Speaker,
then continues.

                       MR. BROOKS
             ... We'd love to work you with on
             the design. It's fun to challenge
             our machines. If you check around,
             you'll find we're not the cheapest,
             but we are the best.

INT. RECEPTION AREA - BROOKS BOX FACTORY Ñ DAY

On his way through to his office, Mr. Brooks smiles absently
at a MAN waiting on the couch. The pleasant-looking Man in
his early 30's, nods.

Mr. Brooks stops at his SECRETARY's desk.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Sunday, did Jane call and say she
             was coming?

                       SUNDAY
             I would have given you that
             message, Mr. Brooks. She has boxes
             and suitcases downstairs.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Hold my calls.

INT. MR. BROOKS' OFFICE Ñ DAY

                       MR. BROOKS
                 (coming in)
             What are you doing here, Gorgeous?


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                          21.
CONTINUED:


The 19 year old Girl we saw arrive by cab stands up and
throws her arms around Mr. Brooks.

                       JANE
             I'm sorry, Daddy, please don't be
             angry with me.

Mr. Brooks kisses Jane on the forehead and goes to sit at his
desk.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I can guess what you've done, but
             why don't you tell me and then I'll
             decide.

                       JANE
             I dropped out of school.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Okay. Have you told your mother
             this?

                       JANE
             No. I wanted to speak to you first.

                       MR. BROOKS
             You'll have to tell her, I'm not
             going to do that for you, and then
             together the three of us will
             decide where to go from here.

                       JANE
             I've thought a lot about this, Dad.
             College is a waste of time for me.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I don't know how you know that half
             way through your Freshman year,
             but...

                       JANE
             You didn't go to college, Dad, and
             you're successful. I want to come
             and work for you.

Sitting on the couch:

                       MARSHALL
             She's not telling you everything,
             she's hiding something.




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        22.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    MR. BROOKS
          I know.
              (to Jane)
          I'm not hiring right now.

                    JANE
          Just listen to me. What would
          happen to the business if, God
          forbid, something happened to you?
          Mom would probably have to sell to
          strangers. I'm willing to start at
          the bottom, you can treat me as a
          regular employee, I want to learn
          everything there is to know about
          running the box business, and then
          when the time comes, the business
          would stay in the family.

                    MR. BROOKS
          That's sweet, but you're talking
          about emotion, not business. In
          fact your mother and I came very
          close to selling out last year.

                    JANE
          What?!

                    MR. BROOKS
          If we had been offered a little
          more money, and they may come back
          to us, we will sell.

                    JANE
          What would you do without...?!

There's a knock on the door.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Yes?

Sunday, the secretary, comes in and crossing to Mr. Brooks:

                    SUNDAY
          I'm sorry, I know you didn't want
          to be disturbed, the Man in the
          waiting room insisted I give you
          this.

She hands Mr. Brooks a letter-size envelope.




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                           23.
CONTINUED: (3)


                    SUNDAY
          He said you would find what's
          inside very interesting.

                    MR. BROOKS
          What is he? A salesman?

                    SUNDAY
          He won't say. I've never seen him
          before. I can tell him to go away
          if you want me to.

                    MR. BROOKS
          That's okay.

She leaves. Slicing the flap of the envelope, Mr. Brooks
picks up with Jane.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Part of spending the four years in
          college is to...

Mr. Brooks can now see the contents of the envelope.

Two snapshot-size PHOTOS taken with a high speed digital
camera. One shows the right side of Mr. Brooks's cheek.

He is in no way identifiable, but that blur of flesh appears
to be looking at the dead dance Couple.

The second Photo is a clear shot of Mr. Brooks closing the
curtains with the dead dance Couple behind him.

Neither Mr. Brooks's voice or his face betray the enormity of
what he's looking at.

                    MR. BROOKS
          ... eh... to give yourself the
          chance to find out who you are and
          what you want to do.

                    JANE
          I'll talk to Mom, but I'm not going
          back to school.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Where would you live?

                    JANE
          To save money I would move back
          home, but no rules, no curfew, I
          want to be treated like an adult.


                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        24.
CONTINUED: (4)


Mr. Brooks allows himself a slight smile.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Would you pay for your food, would
          you pay rent?

                    JANE
          No, dad, you're a very wealthy man,
          you can afford to keep me.

Mr. Brooks presses his Intercom.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Sunday, would you show the
          gentleman who gave you the envelope
          to the conference room, and tell
          him I'll meet him there and...
              (to Jane)
          What happened to the BMW?

                    JANE
          A friend is driving it across
          country, it'll be here next
          weekend.

                    MR. BROOKS
              (to Sunday, through
               Intercom)
          And get Jane a cab.

He picks up the phone and holds it out to Jane.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Call your mother.

                    JANE
          Are you going to give me a job?

                    MR. BROOKS
          If it were up to me, and I think
          your mother will agree with this,
          you should go back to school.

INT. HALLWAY - BROOKS BOX FACTORY Ñ DAY

Mr. Brooks comes around the corner. He's raving at Marshall
who's walking beside him.

                    MR. BROOKS
          You see all of this?! The factory,
          the houses, the cars, the money,
          the respect!!...


                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        25.
CONTINUED:


A different angle in the same hallway shows Mr. Brooks
walking away from us. A passing EMPLOYEE crosses him. The Men
nod to each other. Marshall is nowhere in sight.

                        MR. BROOKS (V.O.)
             ... I like them! I don't want to
             lose them!

And then we're back to the original angle and Marshall is
again in the picture.

                       MR. BROOKS
             ... That's why I didn't want to do
             the dance Couple!

                       MARSHALL
             Stop your fucking whining, Earl,
             you enjoyed doing that Couple just
             as much as I did, and look on the
             bright side, he came to us he
             didn't go to the Cops. If he tries
             to shake us down we kill him.
             Period. We make it fun but we kill
             him. End of story.

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - BROOKS BOX FACTORY Ñ DAY

The Man from the Reception Area is nervously admiring a
display of Mr. Brooks's ceramic pieces. He turns at the sound
of the door opening behind.

                       MR. BROOKS
             What can I do for you, Mr...?

                       MAN
             ... Let's say, 'Smith'.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Okay, Mr. Smith.

Mr. Brooks motions him to a seat.

                       MR. SMITH (MAN)
                 (sitting)
             Before you get the wrong
             impression, Mr. Brooks, I'm not
             here to shake you down.




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        26.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. BROOKS
                 (holding up the photos)
             Then these are the only copies of
             these photos and you have no
             others.

                       MR. SMITH
             No. I have other copies and other
             photos, and if something were to
             happen to me...

                       MR. BROOKS
             How did you find me, Mr. Smith?

                       MR. SMITH
             You're 'Man of the Year', Mr.
             Brooks. Your picture was in the
             paper. If it hadn't been, I don't
             know what I would have done.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Lucky me. What is it that I can
             help you with?

                       MR. SMITH
             I've been watching that Couple for
             months, they liked to make love
             with the blinds open. Sometimes I
             would take pictures, you know,
             visual aides for later. It was fun,
             it was a great way to get off; I
             thought, until I saw you kill them.
             I have to tell you I have never
             ever felt a rush like that ever. I
             know you're the Thumbprint killer,
             you've done this before. What I
             want is to go with you the next
             time you kill someone. And I would
             like that to be soon.

From the end of the table, Marshall cackles a laugh.

                       MARSHALL
             And you were worried that this was
             going to be unpleasant. The answer
             is simple. Just tell him you've
             decided never to kill again and
             he'll go away.

                       MR. BROOKS
             You enjoy watching me suffer, don't
             you?


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                          27.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    MARSHALL
          In a word, yes.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Where do you think he has the other
          pictures?

                    MARSHALL
          He put them in a safety deposit box
          but I'll bet the box is at the bank
          where he has his checking account
          and the key is on his keychain. He
          really wants to do this, he's not
          going to go to the cops.

Mr. Smith who has grown uneasy under Mr. Brooks's stare
swallows:

                    MR. SMITH
          So do we have a deal?

                    MR. BROOKS
          From the angle of these pictures...
              (taps the envelope)
          ... you live on the third floor of
          the apartment building across the
          alley from the Couple's house.

                    MR. SMITH
          Well... eh.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Yes or no, Mr. Smith?

Mr. Smith nods 'yes'.

                    MR. BROOKS
          What time do you get home from
          work?

                    MR. SMITH
          Six thirty, seven, depending on the
          traffic.

                    MR. BROOKS
          You can never come here again, you
          can never call me. Do you
          understand that?

                    MR. SMITH
          Yes.



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        28.
CONTINUED: (3)


                    MR. BROOKS
          Tomorrow night, not tonight,
          tomorrow night, at eight o'clock,
          leave your apartment and walk east.
          I'll pick you up.

                    MR. SMITH
          If you're thinking of doing
          anything to me, Mr. Brooks...

                    MR. BROOKS
          We're both aware of the rules, Mr.
          Smith, but I feel I must warn you.
          If it turns out that you enjoy
          killing, it can become very
          addictive. It could ruin your life.

                    MR. SMITH
          I want to do this.

                    MR. BROOKS
              (looks at Marshall)
          Have I covered everything?

                    MARSHALL
          I can't think of anything else.

Mr. Brooks stands up and opens the door.

                    MR. BROOKS
          I'll see you tomorrow night, Mr.
          Smith.

On his way out, Mr. Smith nods. Mr. Brooks closes the door.
His chin drops on his chest and he sighs.

                    MR. BROOKS
              (under his breath)
          Please God, please help me find a
          way not to do this.

EXT. DOWNTOWN CHICAGO Ñ DAY

Detective Atwood comes out of the CROWD on the sidewalk and
enters a Highrise.

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - LAW OFFICES Ñ DAY

Atwood and her ATTORNEYS, a gray-haired Man in his 60's, and
an Asian Woman about the same age as Atwood are on one side
of the table.



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                           29.
CONTINUED:


JESSE, Atwood's soon to be ex-husband, very handsome,
slightly younger than Atwood, and SHEILA, his attractive
divorce lawyer, sit across from them.

                       ASIAN ATTORNEY
             We've talked to our client and
             we've come up with a number that we
             feel is more than fair.

Atwood is not happy with this. The Attorney slides a sheet of
paper to Sheila. She turns it over. On it is written:
$750,000 -.

                       ASIAN ATTORNEY
             We can have a check for that amount
             in your office by 6 o'clock.

                       SHEILA
             We told you at the beginning what
             we want and that hasn't changed.

                       GRAY-HAIRED ATTORNEY
             You know as well as I do,
             Counselor, if we go to court you're
             not going to get a million five.

                       SHEILA
             I don't know. Let's see.

She holds up the front page of the Chicago Tribune. "THE
HANGMAN ESCAPES" story is circled in red.

                       SHEILA
             This is the front page of
             yesterday's paper...
                 (reads)
             'Hangman Escapes'... eh... now,
             here it is... 'after torturing the
             young women, Thorton Meeks would
             hang them in public places - church
             steeples, balconies, Freeway
             overpasses'... Your client captured
             Mr. Meeks. This is just one example
             of the cases my client lived
             through when he was married to your
             client.

                       ASIAN ATTORNEY
             Your client knew Detective Atwood
             was a homicide detective when he
             married her.



                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                     30.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    SHEILA
          But he had no idea of the mental
          anguish that being in close
          proximity to her work would cause
          him.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          What about the mental anguish I
          went through being in close
          proximity to him. Who's gonna pay
          me for that?

                    ASIAN ATTORNEY
          We don't need to get into this,
          Tracy.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Yes, we do. I was the one who paid
          for everything while we were
          married, and now I'm being asked to
          give him a bonus for spending time
          with me when I've already paid for
          it in the first place.

                    JESSE
              (to Atwood)
          Tracy, this is not a lot of money
          for you, and you know how upset I
          was when Meeks said that he was
          going to escape and he would come
          back and kill you.

                    SHEILA
          We're quite willing to find out
          what a court would think that
          mental anguish is worth.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Jesse... Darling?... you know the
          best thing that could happen to me
          right now? That you get hit by a
          truck and die.

                    SHEILA
              (smiles)
          That's it! Mr. Vialo and I are
          leaving.
              (she and Jesse stand up)
          You've threatened my client, we're
          going to ask for a restraining
          order, and we'll see you in court.



                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                        31.
CONTINUED: (3)


The door closes behind them.

                    GRAY-HAIRED ATTORNEY
          That's going to cost you, Tracy.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
              (standing up)
          Fuck it. It felt good.

INT. APARTMENT Ñ NIGHT

Moonlight seeps around the blinds to reveal Mr. Smith asleep
in bed.

Beyond the open BEDROOM door down the hall is only darkness
until the eruption of illumination from a penlight
momentarily outlines the figure of a Man.

Then we're looking at what the penlight sees.

A keyring. Hands in surgical gloves isolate the - safety
deposit key - and press it into a soft wax block where it
leaves its impression. The light goes off.

In the BEDROOM at the end of the hallway, Mr. Smith begins to
snore. The Figure coasts silently toward the sound.

Mr. Smith's face is sideways on the pillow. The snores and a
little drool burbles out of the corner of his mouth.

WHOOMP!! The impact of something landing on the bed bounces
Mr. Smith upright and awake.

                    MR. SMITH
          Ahhh!!! Ahhh!!! Ahhh!!!

The beam from the penlight hits him in the face. He raises
his hands to shield his eyes.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Don't worry, if I were here to kill
          you, you would already be dead.

The penlight leaves Mr. Smith and Mr. Brooks places it
deliberately under his own chin casting long sinister shadows
up his face. He's sitting on the bed next to Mr. Smith.

                    MR. BROOKS
          After you left today, I realized
          our friendship was a little one-
          sided.
                    (MORE)


                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                           32.
CONTINUED:
                       MR. BROOKS (CONT'D)
             So when we meet tomorrow night
             would you be so kind as to bring
             all of the pictures and the memory
             card from your camera. That way we
             can like each other simply for who
             we are. If you don't show up, I
             will presume you've gone to the
             police and I will kill you. Even if
             I go to jail because of you,
             someone will find you wherever you
             are and kill you.

The penlight goes off. There's total silence.

                       MR. SMITH
                 (squeaks)
             Mr. Brooks?...

He squints into the black.

                       MR. SMITH
             Mr. Brooks?...

Finally he gathers the courage to extend a shaky hand. The
bedside lamp goes on. The room is empty. Cautiously Mr. Smith
swings his legs out of bed and stands up.

He forces himself to go to the door and from there curls his
arm around the jamb into the darkness.

The HALL light is dazzling.

A peek into the BATHROOM shows there is nobody there. He
continues on into the LIVING ROOM.

His camera equipment is on the table. The tripod is still set
up. There is no sign of Mr. Brooks.

Mr. Smith eyes the front door. It's closed and the 'security
chain' is in place!!

Another quick scan of the room. It sure seems that he's
alone.

He opens the front door the length of the chain and looks up
and down the hallway. It's empty. Slowly he closes the door.

Standing in the light of his LIVING ROOM, Mr. Smith is more
scared and strangely more excited than he's ever been in his
life.

                       MR. SMITH
             Wow!...

                                                         33.



INT. BROOKS HOUSE Ñ NIGHT

In a robe and pajamas, Mr. Brooks comes down the HALLWAY
carrying a glass of milk. The door to his Daughter's ROOM is
partly open. By the nightlight in the plug at the head of the
bed he can see she's asleep.

INT. BEDROOM Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Brooks walks to the bed, leans over and kisses his
Daughter on the cheek.

                       MR. BROOKS
                 (quietly)
             It's nice to have you home.

He leaves.

EXT. CHICAGO - MORNING

The early rays of the sun are moving down the tall buildings.

EXT. BROOKS HOUSE Ñ MORNING

A garbage truck is picking up the trash.

INT. BROOKS HOUSE Ñ MORNING

Dressed for work and a smile on his face, Mr. Brooks comes
down the stairs.

In the BREAKFAST ROOM, the mood is decidedly different. His
Wife and Daughter are leaning against opposite walls staring
at the floor.

                       MR. BROOKS
             What's wrong?

                       EMMA
             Ask your daughter what the real
             reason is she dropped out of
             school.

                       JANE
             I keep telling you it's not the
             reason.




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        34.
CONTINUED:


                       EMMA
             You wanted to go to college, you
             had good grades in High School,
             your father helped you get into
             Stanford, we're paying a ton of
             money, if this is not the reason,
             then please dear God tell me the
             reason.

                       MR. BROOKS
                 (picking up an orange
                  juice)
             Why does your mother think you
             dropped out of school?

                       JANE
             I'm pregnant.
                 (to her Mother)
             And it's not the reason I dropped
             out. Being pregnant wouldn't stop
             me from going to school if I wanted
             to go.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Who's the father?

                       JANE
             Some guy I was seeing.

                       EMMA
             Does he know?

                       JANE
             Yes, he's a married man and he
             doesn't want to have anything to do
             with me.

                       EMMA
             Oh, Honey, I'm so sorry.

                       JANE
             I'm going to have an abortion
             anyway, so there is nothing to get
             upset about. I wasn't even going to
             tell you guys.

Mr. Brooks looks directly at his Daughter.

                       MR. BROOKS
             There will be no abortion.




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                          35.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    JANE
          Daddy, you are not going to tell me
          what to do. It's my body and I will
          do what I want to do with it.

Mr. Brooks's eyes find Emma's. Almost imperceptibly she
shakes her head 'no'.

                    MR. BROOKS
              (to his Daughter)
          You're right. I'm sorry. I said it
          wrong. I'm not trying to tell you
          what to do. I'm trying to say that
          a grandchild would be a wonderful
          gift for your mother and me.

                    EMMA
          Please, Honey, don't have an
          abortion.

                    JANE
          Would you really want to have a
          grandchild, even though I'm not
          married?

                    MR. BROOKS
          Yes. The child is what's important.
          We would love it and cherish it
          completely and help you raise it.

                    JANE
          If it means that much to you, I'll
          think about it.

INT. GARAGE - BROOKS HOUSE Ñ MORNING

Walking to the Lexus, Mr. Brooks notices Marshall waiting for
him on the passenger side.

                     MR. BROOKS
              (smiles)
          Well, we were right, she was hiding
          something.

                     MARSHALL
              (flat)
          Pregnant's not all of it. She's
          hiding something bigger. Much
          bigger.

                    MR. BROOKS
          You think so?


                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                          36.
CONTINUED:


                       MARSHALL
             I know so, and so do you.

INT. CRIME LAB Ñ AFTERNOON

Large and small Color Photographs pinned to a corkboard
create a Collage of the dance Couple murder scene.

Standing in front of this is CAPTAIN LISTER, a tall slim open-
faced Woman in her mid-fifties, and the lead Crime Scene
Technician we saw earlier at the Murder House.

                       TECHNICIAN
             It's not what's here, it's what's
             not here that's interesting.
             There's not a trace of anything
             foreign. If I didn't know better
             I'd say these people were killed by
             a ghost.

                       CAPTAIN LISTER
             The autopsy found a tiny piece of
             plastic in the female victim's
             brain.

                       TECHNICIAN
             We're checking with the ammunition
             manufacturers.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
                 (entering the room)
             That's a dead end, he bags the gun.

                       TECHNICIAN
             I don't understand.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             He ziplocks a one gallon plastic
             freezer bag to his wrist over the
             gun. Bang. Bang. A little bit of
             plastic is carried by the first
             slug, the ejected shells go into
             the bag and it limits the powder
             residue.
                 (to Captain Lister)
             I hear you were looking for me.

                       CAPTAIN LISTER
                 (to the Technician)
             Sigy...




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        37.
CONTINUED:


                       SIGY (TECHNICIAN)
             Yeah, okay...
                 (to Atwood)
             Did you find anything? Did they
             have enemies, did they owe money,
             did anybody ever notice someone
             watching the house?

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             So far they are Mr. and Miss
             Normal.

                       SIGY
                 (backing away)
             If you find anything, call, it
             might help me.

He's gone.

                       CAPTAIN LISTER
             I received a subpoena from your
             husband's lawyer for your work
             records, where you were, date and
             times for the past two years.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             That's blackmail.

                       CAPTAIN LISTER
             Almost three quarters of your cases
             are current. I can't let that
             information go into open court. So
             until you settle your divorce, I'm
             going to have to put you on a desk.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             That's also blackmail.

                       CAPTAIN LISTER
             That's one of your big problems,
             Atwood, you don't know how to ask
             for help.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Do you know what he did to me?

                       CAPTAIN LISTER
             You can't grow old as a woman
             without having at least one lousy
             man in your life.




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                     38.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          I was so stupid. While we were
          married, while I paid for him to
          live, the son of a bitch fucked
          every woman he could get his hands
          on. He fucked my friends, he even
          fucked a cousin of mine. Everyone
          knew but me, and they were laughing
          at me behind my back. He made me
          look like an idiot. I was a joke.

                      CAPTAIN LISTER
          And?...

                      DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          And what?

                    CAPTAIN LISTER
          Get over it.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          I made him an offer. I'm not going
          to give him one red cent more.

                    CAPTAIN LISTER
          I hear what he's asking for, you
          could take out of pocket change. Do
          that and go on with your life.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          I couldn't live with myself if I
          did.

                    CAPTAIN LISTER
          I'll spread your work among the
          other guys and the FBI will be here
          on thursday...
              (motions to the pictures)
          ... they'll take over this case.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Please, these are my cases. Nobody
          knows them like me. Don't give them
          away and don't give the Thumbprint
          Killer to the FBI. He's killed
          people in twelve other states, let
          them fuck up those investigations.
          This one's mine.




                                                (CONTINUED)

                                                           39.
CONTINUED: (3)


                    CAPTAIN LISTER
              (opening the door to
               leave)
          You heard Meeks escaped?

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Yeah.

                    CAPTAIN LISTER
          Do you want a detail on you in case
          he comes after you?

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          I can take care of myself.

                    CAPTAIN LISTER
          You're a good cop, Tracy, I don't
          want to lose you, but you have to
          help me if you want me to help you.

INT. HALLWAY Ñ CRIME LAB Ñ AFTERNOON

Atwood is waiting for an elevator. It arrives. The doors
open. The car is empty.

INT. ELEVATOR Ñ AFTERNOON

Atwood gets in and presses the key for her destination, then
slumps into a corner for the ride. The doors close. The
elevator begins to move.

All at once Atwood screams. Her pent-up anger and frustration
rip the air and she goes nuts.

She punches the wall of the elevator, kicks it, throws
herself to the other side, bangs her head against that wall,
punches it, kicks it, all the while screaming.

Then the tears come. The screams stop and she settles upright
against the back wall, where she strikes her chest repeatedly
with the flat of her closed hand.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          What is wrong with me? What is
          wrong with me? What is wrong with
          me?

EXT. MURDER HOUSE Ñ NIGHT

It's raining. The yellow Police tape that still circles the
yard snaps in the wind.



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        40.
CONTINUED:


Up the driveway, out of sight of all the other homes, there's
a movement at the side door of the house.

A closer inspection reveals that it's Detective Atwood. From
under her umbrella she studies her surroundings and as if
she's speaking to the killer, she speaks to herself.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Did you choose them because of
             where they lived or how they looked
             or what jobs they had? Or did you
             just pick them because at the
             instant you saw them, you had
             decided to kill someone? The side
             door was perfect. No one could see
             you pick the lock.

With a key she lets herself in.

EXT. STREET Ñ NIGHT

Parked against the curb opposite the driveway of the Murder
House is an old green Pontiac Convertible with the top up.

The driver's window is down and from inside a WOMAN, late
20's, is watching the house.

INT. MURDER HOUSE Ñ NIGHT

Atwood stops in the PANTRY almost in the exact spot where Mr.
Brooks stopped.

The quiet is filled by the rain drumming on the roof. The
wind rattles the windows.

                        DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             How did you know where they were in
             the house?

She steps into the KITCHEN. On the way across she bumps into
a chair.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             It's darker tonight than it was on
             your night. But still how did you
             manage not to bump into the
             furniture? Did you have a little
             light? That would be too dangerous.
             I'll bet you were in the house
             before.
                       (MORE)



                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        41.
CONTINUED:
                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD (CONT'D)
             So I should ask the neighbors if
             they saw a meter reader around the
             house or a telephone repairman or
             someone from the gas company.

These musings take her through the LIVING ROOM to the
entrance of the HALLWAY where she pauses and looks both ways.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Once again, how did you know where
             they were? Did you check the rooms
             before you found them? She had his
             semen in her vagina, they had just
             made love, did you hear them or was
             there a light on?

She steps into the HALL.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             And when did you bag the gun?
             Because even though I'm sure you're
             an expert at it, there's still a
             chance of noise from the plastic.

She continues down the HALL to the BEDROOM.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Was the door open or did you have
             to open it?

She opens the door and goes in.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Were they asleep or awake? Was the
             light on, or did you turn it on?
             Because I know you, you wouldn't
             risk a shot in the dark.

She turns on the overhead light.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Too bright. What if it wasn't that
             light that was on, but this one?

She turns on a bedside light and goes back to the door and
turns off the overhead.

If the dance Couple were on the bed and their blood was not
on the wall, the room would look exactly the way it did when
Mr. Brooks said 'hello'.




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        42.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          That's better... What thrill do you
          get by killing people? Is it
          sexual, is it hate, is it power? Do
          you feel remorse? Probably that
          part of your brain doesn't exist.
          Do you have emotions of love or
          affection or joy? Or have you
          learned to fake them so you won't
          stand out in a crowd.

She's at the window now, feeling the curtains.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          What if these are stuck closed
          because you yanked them closed?
          Which means they were open when you
          came into the room.

She separates the fabric and looks out the rain-streaked
window at the four story building across the alley. There are
lights on in almost all the apartment windows.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          If Mr. and Miss Normal made love
          with the curtains open and the
          lights on, someone in that building
          noticed them and may have seen you.

She allows the fabric to drop back into place and turns to
look at the bed.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Was that what you were angry about?

INT. APARTMENT BUILDING Ñ NIGHT

Moving slowly across a neutral colored wall.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD (O.S.)
          Thank you for your time.

A door is closed. We come to the corner and are looking down
a HALLWAY at Atwood coming toward us. We move to her and
arrive just as she raises her fist to knock.

Before she can, the door opens and she and Mr. Smith who is
on his way out of his Apartment are surprised that the other
one is suddenly there. Each one takes a half step back.

Phwap! The manila envelope that was wedged under Mr. Smith's
left arm hits the floor.


                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                         43.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. SMITH
             Oh! You scared me.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             I'm sorry...
                 (bends down and picks up
                  the envelope)
             ... I was about to knock. I'm
             Detective Atwood with the Chicago
             Police.

                        MR. SMITH
                 (accepting the envelope)
             Thank you.

Through the open door, Atwood can see Mr. Smith's camera on a
table and the collapsed tripod leaning against the wall.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Are you a photographer...
                 (glances at her list)
             Mr. Baffert?

                       MR. SMITH
             No... eh, it's kind of a hobby, I
             just started.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             I don't know if you're aware but
             there was a murder...

                       MR. SMITH
             Oh, yes in the house across the
             alley...

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Did you happen to see anything
             unusual or suspicious that night
             around that house? Anything at all?

Mr. Smith puts on his thinking expression and pauses a little
bit before:

                       MR. SMITH
             No... I wondered that when I heard
             what happened, but... no.
                 (looks at his watch)
             I'm sorry, I'm meeting someone and
             I don't want to be late.

He moves into the Hallway closing the door behind him.



                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                           44.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Here's my card, if you hear
          anything or remember anything.

                    MR. SMITH
              (taking the card)
          I wish I could be of more help, but
          sorry.

Watching him walk away amid the crinkle of his raincoat,
Detective Atwood, maybe because of her woman's intuition or
maybe because she's a good cop, wonders what is in that
manila envelope under his arm.

The thought is gone almost as soon as it comes and she faces
about to the next door.

EXT. STREET Ñ NIGHT

Hunched against the rain, Mr. Smith is acutely aware of the
traffic. His eyes strain to see the Occupants of each passing
car. He doesn't give a second thought to the older non-
descript Toyota parked against the far curb.

INT. TOYOTA Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Brooks is in the driver's seat. Marshall is in the back.
They're both tracking the progress of Mr. Smith.

                    MR. BROOKS
          He looks clean. He looks like he's
          alone.

                    MARSHALL
          No, I'm telling you he wants to do
          this.

                    MR. BROOKS
          I guess I should turn around and go
          pick him up.

                    MARSHALL
          Nah. Just honk. Maybe he'll get
          killed crossing the street and save
          us the mess of doing it.

EXT. STREET Ñ NIGHT

Honk!! Honk!! Mr. Smith looks around. He's not sure that
sound was for him. But when the Toyota honks again and
flashes it's lights, Mr. Smith waves and splashes to the
center of the street.


                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        45.
CONTINUED:


Even though he stops to let it pass, a car sounds its horn
and swerves to avoid him. Mr. Smith crosses behind the Toyota
and opens the passenger door.

INT. TOYOTA Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Smith flops into the seat.

                       MR. SMITH
             Woof! It's really coming down out
             there.

                       MR. BROOKS
             They say it'll be sunny tomorrow.

Mr. Smith fumbles with the buttons and zipper on his
raincoat.

                       MR. SMITH
             I never trust those guys, when they
             say it's going to be clear it
             always rains and when they say it's
             going to rain, it's sunny.

He comes up with the manila envelope.

                       MR. SMITH
             Here's what you asked for.

Mr. Brooks takes it and hefts it.

                       MR. BROOKS
             The pictures and the memory card
             all here?

                       MR. SMITH
             Yeah.

                       MR. BROOKS
             You and I both know that not all
             the pictures are in here and you
             made a copy of the Memory Card,
             isn't that so?

                       MR. SMITH
             But you understand my position.

Mr. Brooks favors him with a wolfish smile.




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        46.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. BROOKS
             Yes, I do. But it's my hope that
             once you get to know me better
             you'll feel comfortable in giving
             me all that I've asked for.

                       MR. SMITH
             That sounds fair. Oh, I almost
             forgot. I thought you might be
             interested in this.

His hand comes forward with a card.

                       MR. SMITH
             It's the policewoman who's looking
             for you.

Marshall snaps forward from the back seat.

                       MARSHALL
             Wow! We've never known anyone who's
             looking for us before.

Mr. Brooks pinches the rectangle of paper away from Mr. Smith
for a closer view.

                       MARSHALL
             We've got to find out everything
             there is to know about this woman.

                       MR. BROOKS
             This is too close, Marshall, too
             damn close.

Mr. Smith interrupts Mr. Brooks's focus on Detective Atwood's
card.

                       MR. SMITH
             So, what do we do now? What's the
             plan for the evening?

Mr. Brooks slips the envelope under the seat and starts the
car.

                       MR. BROOKS
             We drive around until we see
             someone we think we might enjoy
             killing.

                       MR. SMITH
             Really? That's it? I thought you
             might already have someone in mind.


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        47.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    MR. BROOKS
          I don't enjoy this, Mr. Smith. I do
          it because I'm addicted to it. And
          before you entered my life I had
          vowed I would never kill again. So
          this is your party, you can chose
          anyone you want and we'll do it
          together.

                    MR. SMITH
          Can it be someone I know?

                    MR. BROOKS
          You never kill someone you know.
          That's the easiest way to get
          caught.

EXT. STREET Ñ NIGHT

The Toyota enters the traffic.

INT. APARTMENT BUILDING Ñ NIGHT

An older WOMAN in a Stewardess uniform is standing in the
doorway of her apartment. Atwood is in front of her in the
HALL.

                     STEWARDESS
          I wasn't in town that night, my
          roommate was, maybe he saw
          something.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          May I speak to him?

                    STEWARDESS
          He's on his way to Tokyo now, he's
          also a Flight Attendant.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Did the victims ever leave the
          curtains in the bedroom open?

                    STEWARDESS
          All the time. I don't know if they
          thought we couldn't see them
          "fucking" or they didn't care.




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                         48.
CONTINUED:


                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Here's my card, could you ask your
             roommate to call me when he gets
             back, the people at that number
             will find me any hour of the day or
             night.

                       STEWARDESS
             I won't be here, but I'll leave him
             a note.

EXT. STREET Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Brooks' Toyota is cruising in the flow of traffic.

                       MR. BROOKS (V.O.)
             ... maybe I already know how to
             pick the locks on the house, if I
             don't...

INT. TOYOTA Ñ NIGHT

                       MR. BROOKS
             ... I buy one of those locks and I
             practice on it, same with the
             alarm... some I know how to bypass,
             some I have to study.

                        MR. SMITH
             You don't mind me asking these
             questions?

                       MR. BROOKS
             No. This is your first time, you're
             interested. And you should be if
             you're...

A neutral-colored PICKUP swerves out of the next lane into
Mr. Brooks' lane.

                       MR. SMITH
             Jesus Christ!!

Mr. Brooks is forced to slam on his brakes to avoid running
up the PICKUP'S tailpipe.

HOONKK!!! Mr. Brooks angrily lays on the horn.

The brake lights of the PICKUP flash in response causing Mr.
Brooks to brake again.




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                          49.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. SMITH
             Fuck him!! It was his fault!! What
             an asshole!!

                       MARSHALL
                 (leans forward)
             Maybe Mr. Smith would like to kill
             the driver of the pickup.

                       MR. BROOKS
                 (to Mr. Smith)
             What about the driver of the
             pickup? What if we killed him?

                       MR. SMITH
             Oh, fuck, yes!! I've always wanted
             to kill someone who fucked with me
             in traffic.

The PICKUP makes a right onto a side street. Mr. Brooks
follows.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Do you want to kill the driver of
             the pickup or the owner, they may
             not be the same.

                       MR. SMITH
             The driver.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Okay we'll follow until we get a
             look at him, or her; would it
             bother you to kill a woman?

                       MR. SMITH
             No. An asshole's an asshole.

Mr. Brooks begins to slow down.

                       MR. SMITH
             What are you doing?

                       MR. BROOKS
             The asshole shouldn't know we've
             decided to follow him, or her.

EXT. FOUR STORY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT

Detective Atwood is on her way out the Outer Door when the
hair on the back of her neck stands on end.



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                          50.
CONTINUED:


Footsteps can be heard running toward her through the rain.

Her hand goes under her jacket and comes out holding a Glock
9mm.

She sidesteps out of the light into the grayness at the edge
of the doorway.

Now she sees the RUNNER. A hood hides the face. She can't
tell if it's a Man or a Woman.

Detective Atwood thumbs the Glock's safety to the 'off'
position.

The Runner passes, white breath coming from an unseen mouth.

She waits while the Figure recedes, then with the gun still
in hand she fishes into a pocket for a cell phone and heads
in the opposite direction.

A finger speedials a number. After a second ring a:

                          MALE VOICE
                    (answers)
             Yes?

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
                 (puts the phone to her
                  ear)
             It's Tracy. Can you carve out some
             time for me tonight?... I'll be
             home in an hour and a half. I'll
             see you there.

The phone is shut, the umbrella unfurled and the darkness
swallows her up.

EXT. MINI MART Ñ NIGHT

The neutral-colored Pickup is parked in front. The DRIVER
gets out.

INT. TOYOTA Ñ NIGHT

It has stopped at the curb just beyond the Entrance to the
Mini-Mart parking lot.

Mr. Brooks and Mr. Smith watch the DRIVER come around the
front of another car before entering the store.

The light reveals the Driver to be a tall middle-age preppie
guy with close cropped dark hair and dark-rimmed glasses.


                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        51.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. BROOKS
             Would you recognize him if you saw
             his driver's license picture?

                       MR. SMITH
             Yeah.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I've memorized the license number,
             you write it down. When you get
             home go on the Internet and find
             out everything you can about this
             guy.

                       MR. SMITH
             We aren't going to kill him
             tonight?

                       MR. BROOKS
             No. We could, but then we wouldn't
             be in control. We could leave loose
             ends, and we both know the danger
             of that.

                       MR. SMITH
                 (squints at the Pickup's
                  license)
             I got it.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Look at me.

Mr. Smith does.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Close your eyes. What's the number?

                       MR. SMITH
             VF... eh...

Mr. Smith opens his eyes and grins sheepishly.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Don't feel bad, I've been doing
             this a long time...
                 (he points to a holder on
                  the dash)
             Pen, paper. Write it down.

                       MR. SMITH
                 (copying the number)
             What was your first time?


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        52.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    MR. BROOKS
          You really don't want to know that
          much about me, Mr. Smith.

INT. INDOOR POOL Ñ NIGHT

The lane lines are in place.

Detective Atwood is the only one in the water. Up and down
she goes with a long smooth stroke flipping the turns. She's
not swimming for pleasure, she's working out.

The underwater lights cast rippling shadows on the walls and
ceiling and since they are the only illumination, the room
feels spooky.

Atwood's fingers touch the wall. She raises her head to check
her time, then takes off her goggles.

Hanging onto the gutter she tries to catch her breath, lowers
herself under the surface, blows a lungful of bubbles, comes
up to face LARRY, a Man slightly younger than she is, in a
beautiful suit, perched on the edge of the deck looking down
at her.

He has a dress on a hangar over one shoulder and a pair of
shoes dangling from the fingers of his other hand.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Hi.

                     LARRY
          Hi. I brought a dress and a pair of
          shoes. I thought we could leave
          from here.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Great idea.

She lifts herself to him and they kiss.

INT. EXCLUSIVE SUPPER CLUB Ñ NIGHT

Detective Atwood and Larry are at a balcony table overlooking
a well-populated dance floor. The Music is 40's and 50's
performed by a live BAND.

                    LARRY
          ... I gave him my driver's license,
          my student ID, he didn't look
          anything like me, luckily they
          never checked.


                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                          53.
CONTINUED:


                        DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             I did something like that except I
             was the one who took the test. It
             wasn't math, a friend of mine was a
             theology major and needed a second
             language to get into the Master's
             program...

                       LARRY
             She started her career in theology
             with a lie?!

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Isn't that what all theology is
             based on?

                       LARRY
             Did you pass the test?

                          DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Oh yeah...

                       LARRY
             Don't tell me she ended up as
             Mother Teresa or the Pope.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             No, she realized very quickly there
             wasn't enough money in religion for
             her, the last I heard she'd written
             a diet book that was very
             successful.

                       LARRY
             She stayed in religion.

Atwood smiles, her fingers find Larry's and they intertwine.

The view floats over the balcony.

As it slowly drops, the PEOPLE on the dance floor, Couple by
Couple, disappear until there are only three Couples left,
one of them is Atwood and Larry. Her head is on his shoulder.

It's a slow dance.

Larry is very good and wherever he leads, Atwood easily
follows. The lights begin to dim and we move in.

Larry touches his lips to Atwood's neck. She arches back and
he kisses her neck again and again.



                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                           54.
CONTINUED: (2)


His lips move up and find hers, and we are now close on the
kiss. Gently the lips separate and we slowly retreat.

Looking into her eyes, Larry traces her lips with a finger,
then replaces that finger with his tongue.

His lips brush a cheek, down her neck to where it meets her
shoulder, his teeth close softly on the muscle, by now we are
far enough away to realize that Atwood and Larry have no
clothes on and we are:

INT. HALLWAY - DETECTIVE ATWOOD'S CONDOMINIUM Ñ NIGHT

What light there is, is coming from a room we can't see.

Larry nibbles at Atwood collarbone, kisses a breast, strokes
his hands down her sides. She shivers. He brushes his lips
back and forth across her stomach and then down to where the
flesh of her belly meets her pubic hair.

She's watching all of this in a mirror on the opposite wall.

Then he sinks to his knees and buries his head between her
legs. From low in her throat, Atwood moans. We lose sight of
the Couple as we move around a corner.

INT. BEDROOM Ñ DETECTIVE ATWOOD'S CONDOMINIUM - NIGHT

It's dark. Atwood is propped up against the headboard, the
sheet pulled up over her breasts.

The door to the BATHROOM opens. Larry dressed in his suit,
minus the tie, comes out, kneels on the bed and kisses her.

                    LARRY
          Thank you, this was wonderful.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          For me too.

                    LARRY
          I'll see you then?

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          I'd like that. The money is in the
          usual place.

                    LARRY
          It's not just the money, Tracy. I
          like you.




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        55.
CONTINUED:


                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             I like you too, Larry. Send me a
             bill for the dress and the shoes.

                       LARRY
             I will. Good-night.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Good-night.

EXT. MR. BROOKS' CERAMICS STUDIO Ñ NIGHT

The rain is muffled by the trees.

Move slowly toward the Building then up the side to peek
through the narrow window that circles just below the roof
line.

In the center of the room, the kiln relieves the darkness
with a yellow red glow whose rim touches a slash of white
light coming from under a door tucked in a corner.

INT. CERAMICS STUDIO Ñ NIGHT

We creep through the white light across the floor that's
littered with splashes of paint and smears of clay to the
office door and peer under it.

In front of us are chair casters and two bare feet and legs.

                       MARSHALL (O.S.)
             I think that was right. Go back.

                         MR. BROOKS (O.S.)
             We're in.

                       MARSHALL (O.S.)
             With the taxes we pay, you'd think
             they could make it more difficult
             to hack into the Police personnel
             files.

We tip toe under the door.

INT. OFFICE - CERAMICS STUDIO Ñ NIGHT

It's crammed with file cabinets. Sketches for pottery pieces
are taped to the walls along with photos of Mr. Brooks, Jane
and Emma.




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        56.
CONTINUED:


Mr. Brooks, clad only in a T-shirt and underwear, is sitting
in front of a computer. Marshall, dressed as he usually is,
is in a chair at his side.

They are both staring at the monitor where on one side of the
screen is Detective Atwood's Police ID photo, on the other
side of the screen, Mr. Brooks is scrolling through her
personnel file.

                       MR. BROOKS
             .... Huh... her father's Gerald
             Atwood, why does that ring a bell?

                       MARSHALL
             Someone you did business with,
             someone we killed?

                       MR. BROOKS
             Not someone we killed... MBA...
             College of William and Mary...
             she's been a cop for eleven
             years... Married Doctor Carlson,
             divorced Dr. Carlson, married Jesse
             Vialo... restaurateur... separated
             from Jesse Vialo, sued for support
             by Jesse Vialo, seeing a shrink
             because of Jesse Vialo...

                       MARSHALL
             Excellent fitness report though.

                       MR. BROOKS
             She caught the Hangman, the guy
             that escaped the other day...

                       MARSHALL
             Oooh... She's caught a lot of
             people... And look here, this isn't
             the first time she's been hunting
             for us.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I wonder what the deal was with her
             and Jesse Vialo?

Mr. Brooks taps a key that minimizes Atwood's file then drags
it to the right hand corner. In the middle of a key stroke it
hits him:




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                          57.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    MR. BROOKS
          Ahhhh... now I remember. Her
          father, Gerald Atwood, never did
          business with him but Emma and I
          met him a couple times, big
          political fundraiser. He owns or
          owned one of the largest insurance
          groups in the country and a lot of
          other stuff.

Tap, tap, tap. Jesse Vialo's Driver's license comes up.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Jesse Vialo... Good looking, a
          little younger than she is.

                    MARSHALL
          Younger, restaurateur...
              (snorts)
          She married him on the rebound from
          the doctor and I'll bet he married
          her for her money and her
          connections.

                    MR. BROOKS
          The old man being rich doesn't mean
          she's rich. Maybe he's one of those
          guys who would rather give it to
          the Opera than to his kids.

                    MARSHALL
          Wouldn't she have to declare any
          outside income and holdings to the
          Police?

                    MR. BROOKS
          Hmmm...

He restores Atwood's file. Tap, tap, tap, tap. Stop. The Men
study the screen then look at each other.

                    MR. BROOKS
          The Opera didn't get much.

                    MARSHALL
          Why would a woman with her
          education and worth 60 plus million
          dollars and probably more to come,
          want to be a cop?

                    MR. BROOKS
          I like that about her.


                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        58.
CONTINUED: (3)


                    MARSHALL
          You're such a fucking snob, Earl.
          You like her because she's rich.

                    MR. BROOKS
          No, I like her because she found
          something that's hers. It's not the
          family business. And she's good at
          it. I'd like Jane to find something
          that's hers and that she could be
          good at.

                    MARSHALL
          That's exactly why Atwood scares
          the shit out of me. She's a cop who
          doesn't need the money and she's
          looking for us. That's one fucking
          dangerous human being.

                    MR. BROOKS
          The fact that you're not wrong
          doesn't make me admire her any
          less.

INT. SUBURBAN STARBUCKS Ñ MORNING

At a table the Asian Attorney is going over a brief. There
are two foamy coffees in to-go cups in front of her.
Detective Atwood arrives at the table.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Hi...

She reaches out, the Women shake hands.

                    ASIAN ATTORNEY
          Hi. I got you a Latte.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
              (sitting)
          Thanks and thanks for meeting me
          here.

                    ASIAN ATTORNEY
          We got an injunction to quash the
          subpoena for your work records
          yesterday. They've already
          appealed.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          That doesn't help me does it?



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        59.
CONTINUED:


                       ASIAN ATTORNEY
             Your father has a lot of political
             muscle.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             My father does nothing for nothing.

                       ASIAN ATTORNEY
             I understand. If you're willing to
             play the game and ride a desk for a
             year; I think we can settle for one
             two five, one five.

                         DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             No desk.

                       ASIAN ATTORNEY
             Then the only other option is
             money. Tell me how high you are
             willing to go.

                         DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             One five.

                       ASIAN ATTORNEY
             I can try. If I were on the other
             side I'd hold out for more.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             How much more?

                       ASIAN ATTORNEY
             Give me a cap and that's how high
             we'll go.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Try and get a number out of them
             first. I want to know what ballpark
             I'm playing in and if it's a lump
             sum, is it less than something
             that's paid in installments.

                       ASIAN ATTORNEY
             I'll call them today.

Atwood stands up with her coffee.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             I'd like to get this done as soon
             as possible.




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        60.
CONTINUED: (2)


The Asian Attorney also stands and gathering her papers and
coffee.

                    ASIAN ATTORNEY
          Are you working on the Thumbprint
          Killer this time?

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Yeah.

                    ASIAN ATTORNEY
          That one's creepy to me. The doors
          are locked, the alarms are armed
          and the people are dead. It makes
          you feel like you're not safe
          anywhere.

Atwood nods and opens the front door then follows the
Attorney out.

EXT. SUBURBAN STARBUCKS Ñ MORNING

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Where are you parked?

                    ASIAN ATTORNEY
          I'm right over there.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          I'm down the street. Call me as
          soon as you have something.

She starts to walk away.

                    ASIAN ATTORNEY
          Oh, Tracy... I almost forgot, your
          husband says there's a picture of
          him holding some trophy that you
          still have.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          He took all those pictures. He took
          everything.

                    ASIAN ATTORNEY
          He claims it's his favorite picture
          and you put it up where you store
          your suitcases.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          I'll look.



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                           61.
CONTINUED:


                       ASIAN ATTORNEY
             I know it's petty, but you're going
             through a divorce.

EXT. SIDEWALK Ñ MORNING

Atwood strides toward her car. The PEDESTRIAN traffic is
light. It's too early for the stores to be open.

Up ahead a BROWN VAN is idling at the curb, the sliding side
door is open. Atwood can see inside. Empty except for some
furniture blankets.

The Person in the Driver's seat turns to look into the back.
It's the Woman who was watching Atwood outside the Murder
House. Her hands are unseen in leather gloves.

She looks up and their eyes meet. Two strangers. The contact
is instantly broken.

Atwood takes a deep breath and smiles. After the rain, the
air is brisk and clean. It's good to be alive.

SLAM!!! Atwood is body-checked by a Man who springs out of
the recess of a doorway. His arms wrap around her, she's
lifted off her feet and the Man throws himself and her into
the Van.

INT. BROWN VAN - MORNING

Oooff!! The wind is knocked out of Atwood when she lands left
shoulder first on the furniture blankets, the Man on top of
her.

The Man is Thorton Meeks, the Hangman, six feet, a solid two
hundred pounds. He's also wearing tight leather gloves.

EXT. STREET Ñ MORNING

The Brown Van accelerates fast away from the curb.

INT. BROWN VAN Ñ MORNING

His body crushing hers, Meeks kisses Atwood's cheek.

                       MEEKS
             Surprise, surprise, Tracy. I told
             you I was coming back to get you.

He frees his right hand and pulls his gun.




                                                     (CONTINUED)

                                                         62.
CONTINUED:


                       MEEKS
             I already know where I'm gonna hang
             you. But first I'm gonna watch
             her...
                 (indicates the Driver)
             ... have some fun with you, then
             she's gonna watch me have some fun
             with you.

He kisses her again and puts the gun to Atwood's head.

                       MEEKS
             Now, don't move.

He raises up and straddles her.

                       MEEKS
             You know the drill, I'm gonna put
             the cuffs on.

With his left hand he fishes a pair of handcuffs from a back
pocket and snaps them on Atwood's right wrist.

                       MEEKS
             Now the left.

He rolls Atwood on her back and with the chain of the
handcuff pulls her right arm toward her left.

All Meeks' talk has allowed Atwood to catch her breath and
suddenly she jerks her head up into the gun and screams at
the top of her lungs.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             SHOOT ME!!!

At the same time she pulls hard against the handcuff with her
right wrist. A startled Meeks is thrown off balance. The gun
comes away from Atwood's head.

Her left arm now free, Atwood swings her palm with all of her
might into Meeks' right ear. POP!! His eardrum breaks.

Aaaggh!! He instinctually reaches to cover the damaged ear
with his gun hand.

The Driver doubles around to see what's happening. From
outside, HOONNNKK!! The Driver's attention returns to the
road.




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        63.
CONTINUED: (2)


Atwood swings again. This time she snags the barrel of the
gun and using it as a lever bends Meeks' hand back on the
wrist.

BLAM! The gun goes off. Neither one of them is hit.

At the same time Atwood pulls hard on the handcuff that Meeks
is holding in his left hand and twists into him. This
dislodges Meeks and he's off of her.

Snarling like animals they fight for the gun.

CRACK! Atwood's leverage breaks Meeks' trigger finger. His
grip loosens on the weapon. She pulls it out of his hand.

A quick push skitters it across the floor. It drops through
the open side door into the street.

Atwood rolls away and reaches for her ankle gun. Now it's
Meeks' turn. A sharp tug on the chain of the handcuff stalls
her motion.

He flicks his other arm and a switchblade is delivered into
his right hand. Snap!! The blade comes out. Atwood is
reaching again for her ankle gun. She sees the flash of metal
and flings her head back.

Luckily all she receives is a deep gash above her right eye.
Blood immediately begins to cascade over her brow.

Meeks grins and gives another sharp tug on the handcuff to
pull Atwood into the range of his knife.

With one foot Atwood kicks at him, with the other she pushes
off and propels herself backward to grab a handful of the
Driver's hair.

Atwood's weight hinges the Driver's head back until she's
looking at the ceiling. Her scream is equal parts pain and
surprise.

EXT. STREET Ñ MORNING

The Brown Van veers into the on-coming traffic. The Driver of
the car dead ahead swerves. The Van solidly clips the rear of
that car.

INT. BROWN VAN - MORNING

The sudden deceleration of that impact slingshots Atwood and
Meeks forward. She hits the back of the Driver's seat.



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                         64.
CONTINUED:


Meeks has further to go. He loses his hold on the handcuffs
and smashes into the passenger seat.

Her right hand now free, Atwood scratches for the gun on her
hip.

EXT. STREET Ñ MORNING

Careening across its lane, the Van sideswipes a parked car.

INT. BROWN VAN Ñ MORNING

That impact rips Atwood's hand out of the Driver's hair and
sends her sliding on her knees toward the side door.

On her way she unclips her gun and is bringing it out of her
holster when Meeks who has managed to hang onto the passenger
seat sees this and slams a foot into her chest.

Atwood is launched backward out the side door.

EXT. STREET Ñ MORNING

In slow motion Atwood flies through the air while at normal
speed the Van is leaving her behind.

SMASH! Butt first, Atwood hammers into the back window of a
parked car. The shattering glass breaks her fall.

Groggily she rolls out of the indentation. Gun still in hand
and blood covering one side of her face she slides off the
car to stand in the street.

The Van is nowhere in sight.

INT. EMERGENCY ROOM Ñ DAY

Captain Lister is watching a DOCTOR sew up the gash on
Detective Atwood's forehead.

                       CAPTAIN LISTER
             We found the van in an underground
             lot about two miles from where they
             left you. It was stolen last night.

Detective Snyder comes in and hands a packet of photographs
to Atwood.

                       SNYDER
             These are the women we have
             pictures of who know Meeks.



                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                         65.
CONTINUED:


                       CAPTAIN LISTER
             Meeks and the Woman, none of the
             Attendants remember seeing them.

As Detective Atwood begins to go through the pictures.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             That chiropractor, Alvin Griffin,
             who sold Meeks his steroids, he
             might know where he is.

                       CAPTAIN LISTER
             His phone's been tapped since Meeks
             escaped. No contact that way so far
             and he's sure not going to talk to
             us.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             What about a warrant to search his
             house? Get me in the door and he'll
             talk to me.

                       CAPTAIN LISTER
             How's your divorce going?

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             I took your advice and told my
             lawyer to settle.

Stretching out her arm to return the photos:

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             None of these is the woman in the
             van.

                       DOCTOR
             Whoa... I'm sewing up your head
             here.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Sorry.

                       CAPTAIN LISTER
             And your ego can handle that?

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             It doesn't like any of the other
             choices.

                       CAPTAIN LISTER
             Until Meeks is caught, Snyder is
             with you.


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        66.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Nothing personal, Snyder.
              (to Lister)
          He's not part of our team.

                    CAPTAIN LISTER
          He's there to protect you. And
          listen to him, he's been alive
          longer than you have.

                    SNYDER
          I didn't volunteer for this,
          Atwood.

                    CAPTAIN LISTER
          The Parking Lot has a security
          camera. We're checking the tape. If
          Meeks and the Woman left in a car
          we'll have a license number. You
          have two days then I want a
          progress report on your divorce.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          I think I have all the pieces on
          the Thumbprint Killer, I'm just not
          looking at them the right way.

                    CAPTAIN LISTER
          Okay, you have three days.

She leaves.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
              (smiles sweetly at Snyder)
          Every babysitter I ever had loved
          me.

EXT. DRUG STORE PARKING LOT Ñ NIGHT

In the scattering of vehicles Mr. Brooks' Toyota is hidden in
plain sight in a row of cars.

INT. TOYOTA Ñ NIGHT

Behind the wheel, Mr. Brooks is again wearing his Pottery-
Throwing clothes. Mr. Smith is in the passenger seat and
Marshall is leaning forward from the back.

They're all focused to varying degrees on the Entrance to the
store. Mr. Smith raises his watch for a look at the time.




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        67.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. SMITH
             Maybe he went home with someone
             else.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Can you still see his pickup?

Mr. Smith looks.

                       MR. SMITH
             Uh huh.

                       MR. BROOKS
             This is not the kind of guy who
             leaves his pickup in an unguarded
             Lot overnight.

The silence returns.

All three Men idly observe an old green Pontiac convertible
with a frayed top and paint peeling, come into the Lot and
park two spaces away facing them. We saw this car last
watching Atwood from outside the Murder House.

The headlights go off.

The Driver's door opens. The Woman who was with Meeks in the
Van steps out and hurries toward the Drug Store.

She of course means nothing to Mr. Brooks but in the brief
seconds the domelight is on, he catches sight of the Man in
the passenger seat. A memory tickles his brain.

He turns to Marshall.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Where do we know that guy from?

                       MARSHALL
             You really should pay more
             attention to what you read, Earl.

                       MR. BROOKS
             That's what I have you for,
             Marshall.

                       MARSHALL
             His picture was on the front page
             of the paper a couple days ago
             because he escaped from jail. He's
             the killer they call the Hangman.



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                           68.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    MR. BROOKS
          Ahh...

                    MARSHALL
          Remember that cop you like, Atwood,
          who's chasing us, she's the one who
          put him away. I think his name is
          Thorton Meeks.

Mr. Brooks cocks his head at the vague outline of Meeks.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Well, well, well... What would life
          be without surprises?

Mr. Smith who, remember, cannot hear or see Marshall,
straightens up.

                    MR. SMITH
          There he is!

The Man they are waiting for is coming down the steps of the
store. On the way to his Pickup he takes off a Manager's
smock.

                    MR. SMITH
          You know what's weird? I'll bet he
          has all these plans of what he's
          going to do tonight and tomorrow
          and he doesn't know he will already
          be dead and won't be able to do any
          of them.

Mr. Brooks nods absently. The Drug Store Manager arrives at
his truck.

                    MR. BROOKS
          I don't think I want to kill this
          guy.

                    MR. SMITH
          What?! But you promised we would!

Marshall smiles.

                    MARSHALL
          Oh, I love what you're thinking.

                    MR. BROOKS
          You have no idea what I'm thinking.




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                         69.
CONTINUED: (3)


                    MARSHALL
          Oh yes I do, and it's wonderfully
          twisted.

                    MR. BROOKS
              (to Mr. Smith)
          I know I said we would, but I don't
          think it would be that much fun.

Mr. Brooks starts the car and puts it in reverse.

                    MR. SMITH
          So just like that, you're saying
          'no', it's not going to happen.

                      MR. BROOKS
          Yes.

                    MR. SMITH
              (purses his lips into a
               tight line)
          I see.

Mr. Brooks casts his eyes on the license plate of the car
Meeks is in.

                    MARSHALL
          You get the number?

                      MR. BROOKS
          I got it.

EXT. DRUG STORE PARKING LOT Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Brooks' Toyota leaves.

INT. TOYOTA Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Smith sits stiffly. His expression hasn't changed.

                    MARSHALL
          Mr. Smith wants you to notice he's
          pouting.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Yeah, I know.

EXT. STREET Ñ NIGHT

The Toyota is part of the light traffic.

                                                        70.



EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET Ñ NIGHT

The Toyota comes into view around a corner and stops next to
the sidewalk.

INT. TOYOTA Ñ NIGHT

                     MR. BROOKS
          I know you're upset, Mr. Smith, and
          I'm sorry.

                    MR. SMITH
          Yeah, I am upset.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Maybe I was a little abrupt back
          there, but let me explain. Finding
          someone you think would be fun to
          kill is a bit like falling in love.
          You meet a lot of candidates, and
          you like some of them and they're
          nice, but they're not right; and
          then that special one shows up and
          your heart beats faster and you
          know that's the one. The man in the
          pickup did not make my heart beat
          faster.

                    MR. SMITH
          Okay, he did not make your heart
          beat faster. If not him, who?

                    MR. BROOKS
          I don't know, I think I have
          someone in mind.

                    MR. SMITH
          Do you need me to do any work on
          it?

                    MR. BROOKS
          No, let's see how it plays out.

                    MR. SMITH
          You see? That's my problem. That
          makes me feel like I'm being jerked
          around, Mr. Brooks. I thought it
          was happening last night, then it
          was happening tonight. And now it's
          "Let's see how it plays out".
                    (MORE)



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                         71.
CONTINUED:
                       MR. SMITH (CONT'D)
             I feel like you're planning to back
             out on our deal and I don't like
             that feeling at all.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I promise you, it will happen.

                       MR. SMITH
             When? That's what I want to know,
             Mr. Brooks. When?

                       MR. BROOKS
             Tomorrow night, same time. When you
             come out of your building, turn
             right, go to the first street you
             can go west on, I'll pick you up on
             that street.

                       MR. SMITH
             Okay.

He gets out and with the door still open, turns back.

                       MR. SMITH
             I want to do this. But if it drags
             on too long, I could change my
             mind.

                        MR. BROOKS
             Don't you think I want to do this,
             Mr. Smith?

                       MR. SMITH
             Maybe you don't anymore.

He shuts the door. Marshall and Mr. Brooks watch him walk
away.

                       MARSHALL
             Even if that guy was charming and
             funny I still wouldn't like him.

EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET Ñ NIGHT

The Toyota U-turns, makes the corner and is lost from sight.

EXT. ALLEY - CERAMICS STUDIO Ñ NIGHT

The garage door opens and Mr. Brooks swings the Toyota
inside.

                                                           72.



INT. GARAGE Ñ CERAMICS STUDIO - NIGHT

Mr. Brooks steps out of the Toyota onto a sheet of plastic.
Two strides away is an industrial vacuum cleaner.

INT. TOYOTA Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Brooks vacuums the passenger seat and dash and floor and
everything around it.

INT. GARAGE Ñ CERAMICS STUDIO - NIGHT

Mr. Brooks removes his shoes and leaves them on the plastic,
then slips his feet into paper slippers.

With handiwipes he wipes down the outside of the passenger
door, in fact anything on that side Mr. Smith could have
touched.

He opens the door and wipes down the seat and the dash and
the console.

Back on the plastic, Mr. Brooks undresses. On top of his
clothes he drops the used handiwipes, the slippers and the
vacuum bag.

The corners of the plastic sheet are folded up, twisted
together and Zip-tied to create a nice neat package which Mr.
Brooks picks up and takes into the Ceramics Studio.

INT. SHOWER - CERAMICS STUDIO Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Brooks rinses off the lather under the spray.

INT. CERAMICS STUDIO Ñ NIGHT

The glow from 3000 degrees Fahrenheit is coming through the
window of the kiln.

INT. OFFICE - CERAMICS STUDIO Ñ NIGHT

The Driver's license, complete with picture, of the Woman who
was with Meeks in the Drug Store parking lot, is up on the
computer screen.

Mr. Brooks, now back in his regular clothes, brings the
cursor down to the address. He scores this and drags it into
Yahoo Maps 'driving directions'.

A route is generated. Mr. Brooks brings the cursor up to
'Print' and clicks.



                                                    (CONTINUED)

                                                        73.
CONTINUED:


CLOSE on his Printer. The map is fed out and settles into the
tray.

EXT. BROOKS HOUSE Ñ MORNING

An unmarked Police car stops on the gravel of the Turn-
Around. Two Plainclothes DETECTIVES get out and walk to the
front door.

The taller One rings the bell and they wait and then the door
is opened by Mr. Brooks.

In a flash he takes in the car and the way the Men are
dressed and although his face doesn't betray it, he knows
what they are.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Hi, what can I do for you?

The shorter One holds up a badge.

                       DETECTIVE 1
             I'm Detective Smolny with the
             Chicago Police and this is
             Detective Carfagno, from Palo Alto,
             California...

                       CARFAGNO (DETECTIVE 2)
                 (showing his badge)
             We'd like to speak to Jane Brooks,
             if that's possible.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Jane is my daughter, what's this
             about?

                       CARFAGNO
             There was a murder at Stanford not
             long before she left. She may be
             able to help us.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Is she a suspect?

                       CARFAGNO
             Not at this time. We simply would
             like to ask her some questions.

                       SMOLNY (DETECTIVE 1)
             Is your daughter here?




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        74.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. BROOKS
             Yes... she is.

                       CARFAGNO
             The questions won't take long.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I'm sure you would have no
             objection if she had an attorney
             present.

                       SMOLNY
             That's fine.
                 (reaching into his pocket)
             Here's my card. We can schedule a
             time for later today or tomorrow
             for her to come in to see us.

Mr. Brooks looks at the card.

                       MR. BROOKS
             If you gentlemen can wait, I will
             call my lawyer right now and see
             what we can work out.

                       SMOLNY
             Oh, that's even better.

                       MR. BROOKS
                 (opening the door wider)
             Would you like some coffee?

                          SMOLNY
             Thank you.

INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY Ñ BROOKS HOUSE - MORNING

Marshall is walking alongside a very disturbed Mr. Brooks.

                       MARSHALL
             We both knew she was hiding
             something bigger, I certainly
             didn't think it was this big.

                       MR. BROOKS
             She's not a suspect, Marshall. She
             may not have anything to do with it
             at all.

Mr. Brooks opens a door. The room that is revealed is a very
well equipped home GYM.



                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        75.
CONTINUED:


In sweats and wearing a Walkman, Emma is working out on an
Elliptical machine.

Mr. Brooks motions to her that he wants to talk. Emma takes
off the headphones and pauses the machine.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Did Jane ever tell you that there
             was a murder at her school?

                       EMMA
             No.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Nothing? Not that a friend died or
             someone she knew died? Or someone
             in her dorm died?

                       EMMA
             No.

                       MR. BROOKS
             There are two Detectives
             downstairs, one is from Palo Alto,
             they want to ask her some questions
             about a murder that occurred
             shortly before she came home.

                       EMMA
             Oh, my Gosh! I'm sure if she was
             close to someone who was murdered,
             she would have said something.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I called Roger, he suggested a
             criminal attorney, they'll be here
             within the hour.

                       EMMA
             I'll get dressed.

EXT. BROOKS HOUSE Ñ DAY

There are now three cars plus the unmarked Police car in the
Turn-Around.

INT. BROOKS HOUSE Ñ DAY

Everyone is in the LIVING ROOM.




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        76.
CONTINUED:


Jane is on a couch flanked by her Mother and a LAWYER.
Standing behind them is a heavyset LAWYER and a YOUNG LAWYER.
We've never seen any of these Men before.

Facing this Group from the opposite couch are the two
Detectives. There are two tape recorders on the coffee table.

Mr. Brooks is in a chair off to one side watching everything.

For him the conversation is merely a burble of voices. He
studies his daughter while she answers a question.

She is unaware of his scrutiny. And finally all he can see
are her lips moving. Even the burble has faded to silence.

EXT. BROOKS HOUSE Ñ DAY

The unmarked Police car with the two Detectives pulls away.
We move in on the front door. It opens. The Lawyers spill
out. Mr. Brooks shakes hands with the lawyer who was sitting
on the couch next to Jane.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Mr. Clifford, it was a pleasure.
             Thank you for coming on such short
             notice.

                       HEAVYSET LAWYER
             There won't be any more dropping by
             like they did today, they'll call
             us first.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Thanks again, Roger. It was a good
             idea to hear what they wanted to
             know sooner rather than later.

                       MR. CLIFFORD
             We'll talk.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Yup.

He waves and re-enters the house.

INT. BROOKS HOUSE Ñ DAY

Mr. Brooks shuts the door and turning, finds himself face to
face with Emma and Jane. The Women are both worried.

He and his Daughter look at each other. For a brief instant
each one tries to find what they hope to find in the other.


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                          77.
CONTINUED:


Mr. Brooks smiles and folds the Girl into his arms.

                       MR. BROOKS
             You did good, Kid. Your answers
             were clear, concise and honest. And
             when they tried to trip you up, it
             didn't work.

                       JANE
             I hope so. I'm not feeling so well.

                       EMMA
             Should you lie down?

                       JANE
             I think I'd better.

Mr. Brooks kisses his daughter on the top of the head.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Try and get some sleep.

Jane bends her steps toward the stairs.

                       MR. BROOKS
                 (to Emma)
             I think Roger has a handle on this.
             He and Mr. Clifford will take care
             of it.

Emma takes her Husband's hand and after squeezing it follows
her Daughter. On the stairs Jane stops and looks back.

                       JANE
             I'm sorry I didn't tell you about
             it, Daddy. It was horrible but I
             really didn't know the guy that
             well. It happened at about the same
             time I found out I was pregnant,
             and it just went out of my mind.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I understand.

Jane resumes her journey up the stairs.

                                           CUT TO:

CLOSE on a water glass being filled from a tap.




                                                     (CONTINUED)

                                                          78.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    MR. BROOKS (V.O.)
          God grant me the Serenity to accept
          the things I cannot change, Courage
          to change the things I can, and
          Wisdom to know the difference...

INT. KITCHEN Ñ BROOKS HOUSE - DAY

With a shaky hand, Mr. Brooks raises the glass to his lips.

                    MR. BROOKS
          God help me. What do I do?

Sitting on the island behind him Marshall waits for Mr.
Brooks to gulp the glass dry.

                    MARSHALL
          She did it, didn't she?

                    MR. BROOKS
          Yeah. It'll take the Cops a week to
          ten days to put their case together
          and then they'll come back and
          arrest her.

                    MARSHALL
          What are you going to do?

Mr. Brooks puts his hands over his eyes and sobs, then wiping
away the tears:

                    MR. BROOKS
          I've been afraid of this since the
          day she was born. She has what I
          have.

                    MARSHALL
          Yes, she does. But you've always
          been smart about it. She was
          stupid. She did it because she got
          off on it, she did it for fun. Why
          didn't she think it through? A
          hatchet! And she left it there!!

                    MR. BROOKS
          They were pretty graphic, weren't
          they?

                    MARSHALL
          That was to shock her into making a
          mistake.



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        79.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. BROOKS
             What does she think I think?
             Doesn't she remember what she told
             me? That the BMW was being driven
             across country by a friend and now
             right in front of me, she tells the
             Cops it was stolen.

                       MARSHALL
             You've always cleaned up after her,
             whatever she did, all her life.

                       MR. BROOKS
             If the BMW has anything
             incriminating in it, I hope it was
             stolen or she dropped it at the
             bottom of a very deep lake.

                       MARSHALL
             Do you think she knows what kind of
             trouble she's in?

                       MR. BROOKS
             I think she thought she had gotten
             away with it until the Cops showed
             up. I should have listened to her,
             it was there. She was telling me.
             'I didn't quit school because I was
             pregnant'. I should have dug
             deeper.

                       MARSHALL
             And where would you be but at the
             exact same place you are now. It is
             not your fault, Earl. Part of your
             problem with her is that you always
             think it is.

                       MR. BROOKS
             She has what I have, Marshall. So
             on a very basic level, it is my
             fault.

                       MARSHALL
             What are you going to do?

                       MR. BROOKS
             Maybe the best thing for her would
             be to let her go to jail.

                       MARSHALL
             And what about her child?


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                           80.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    MR. BROOKS
          Emma and I would raise it.

                    MARSHALL
          You might be right, Earl, you might
          be. Because you know if she's not
          stopped, she's going to do it
          again. And if she wants to take
          over the box business, the next
          victim could be you.

                    MR. BROOKS
          I don't think she'd go that far.

INT. CRIME LAB Ñ DAY

A slide of what looks like enlarged grains of sand among
giant carpet fibers is projected onto a screen.

The Lead Crime Lab Technician:

                    SIGY (O.S.)
          We found traces of this in two
          places.

The slide changes to an overhead schematic showing the
interior of the house where the dance Couple was murdered.

Detective Atwood and Detective Snyder are standing with Sigy
watching the presentation. Atwood has a bandage covering the
stitches over her eye.

                    SIGY
              (with a laser pointer)
          Here and here.

The red dot indicates an area just outside the Kitchen and
just outside the Bedroom.

                    SIGY
          We did an analysis and it's made up
          of feldspar, alumina and kaolin.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          What's that?

                    SIGY
          A high fire stoneware clay.

                    SNYDER
          Like you make ashtrays and vases
          from?


                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                          81.
CONTINUED:


                       SIGY
             This is more plates and teacups. It
             was slightly wet when whoever it
             was tracked it into the house and
             it stuck to the carpet fibers.
             We're thinking it was the killer.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             It could have been tracked in by a
             friend.

                       SIGY
             That's the thing, you see, the
             friend would have had to have been
             there almost at the same time the
             killer was. Otherwise the samples
             would have been dry and the killer
             would have vacuumed them up.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Is the clay rare, is it difficult
             to get?

                       SIGY
             You can buy it almost anywhere.

                       SNYDER
             That's not much help, Sigy.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             And this is the only incongruity
             you were able to find in the whole
             house.

                       SIGY
             We've done everything we know how
             to do. It sure doesn't break the
             case wide open, does it?.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             No, Sigy, it doesn't. It does give
             me an excuse to ask someone some
             new questions.

INT. MR. BROOKS' OFFICE Ñ BROOKS BOX FACTORY - DAY

Mr. Brooks is standing behind his desk staring blankly at the
contents of his briefcase when Sunday, his Secretary, comes
in.

                       SUNDAY
             Yes, Mr. Brooks?


                                                     (CONTINUED)

                                                          82.
CONTINUED:


Mr. Brooks doesn't immediately answer her, he's lost in
thought.

                       MARSHALL
                 (from the couch)
             Before you open your mouth, be very
             sure this is the right thing to do.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I will never be sure.

Remember; Sunday can neither see nor hear Marshall.

                       MARSHALL
             You get pissed at me because I'm
             always the one arguing to go ahead
             and do murder. Not this time, Earl.
             This is your decision.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I know it's wrong. In my heart I
             know it's wrong.

                       MARSHALL
             Then don't do it. Go with Mr. Smith
             tonight and end that, then let the
             Police put Jane in jail. Hopefully
             that will save her and we can
             happily go on with our tortured
             lives.

                       MR. BROOKS
             That's exactly what I want to do.
             That's exactly what I should do.
             The thing is, she's my daughter and
             I love her.

Mr. Brooks raises his head and looks at Sunday.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I'm going home. Cancel everything
             for the rest of the day. I might be
             in tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you
             know about that.

                       SUNDAY
             I'll take care of it.

                       MR. BROOKS
             If you need me, need me, call my
             studio, that's where I'll be.
                       (MORE)


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        83.
CONTINUED: (2)
                    MR. BROOKS (CONT'D)
          I probably won't pick up, just
          leave a message.

                    SUNDAY
          I'll try not to bother you.

The door closes behind her.

INT. CERAMICS STUDIO Ñ DAY

With a hidden lever, Mr. Brooks lowers casters under the kiln
and rolls it aside to reveal a Combination Safe imbedded in
the concrete floor.

He spins the dial, opens the Safe and extracts four quadruple-
pocketed plastic sleeves which he lines up in front of
himself.

Each sleeve contains a Driver's License, two Credit cards and
cash.

The pictures on the Driver's Licenses are of Mr. Brooks, but
you wouldn't immediately recognize him because of the
disguises.

As he's trying to decide which of the four Identities would
be best for what he has in mind, Marshall comes forward to
look over his shoulder.

                    MARSHALL
          The thing that bothers me about
          this, besides the fact we're not
          prepared, and a multitude of other
          things, is what does Mr. Smith do
          when he's walking west tonight and
          you don't show up. That little
          freak could flip out.

Mr. Brooks chooses the first sleeve and the third sleeve. The
other two go back into the Safe.

                    MR. BROOKS
          I'll take care of it on the way to
          the airport.

EXT. FIVE STORY GLASS BUILDING Ñ DAY

It's in an Industrial Park.

Mr. Smith exits one of the doors and continues on into the
Parking Lot to a moderately expensive foreign car sitting in
a space identified by a sign which reads:



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        84.
CONTINUED:


Mr. Baffert.

He squeezes the 'disarm' button on his key chain. The car
chirps twice and he opens the door. Bending his knees to get
in, he stops.

There is a section of Newspaper wedged in the steering wheel.

When his brain unlocks he straightens up and moving only the
top of his body, makes a quick recon of the surrounding area
and his back seat.

Nothing threatening seen, he eases into the seat. Slam! The
door is closed and locked.

INT. CAR Ñ DAY

Gingerly, Mr. Smith removes the Newspaper. It folds open. On
the first page there are words circled in red.

As his eyes dart from one to the other we go in close on the
words and hear Mr. Brooks say them as Mr. Smith finds them.

                       MR. BROOKS (V.O.)
             Not - able - to - meet -

Mr. Smith turns the page.

                       MR. BROOKS (V.O.)
             - tonight - Do - it - same -

Turns the page.

                       MR. BROOKS (V.O.)
             - time - tomorrow -

Turns the page.

                       MR. BROOKS
             - night - Don't - be - stupid -.

Mr. Smith refolds the Newspaper and throws it at the
passenger seat.

                         MR. SMITH
             Fuck you!

He inserts the key into the ignition.

RAP-RAP!! There's a sudden sharp KNOCK!!, on the Driver's
window.



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                           85.
CONTINUED:


Mr. Smith levitates off the seat!! Unable to breathe, he
turns.

Detective Atwood's face lowers into view.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             You remember me?

All Mr. Smith can do is nod.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Would you step out of the car,
             please, I want to talk to you.

EXT. CAR Ñ DAY

Atwood steps back as Mr. Smith gets out. Behind her,
Detective Snyder is standing next to the Driver's door of an
un-marked Police car which has blocked Mr. Smith in.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             So Mr. Baffert, what is that you
             have to tell me?

                       MR. SMITH
             What do you mean? I don't have
             anything to tell you.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Really? Because I was driving
             around and I got this sudden
             feeling that you had something to
             tell me about the murders.

                       MR. SMITH
             No. Nothing.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             That's disappointing. Because when
             I left you the last time we talked,
             I felt I had missed a clue that was
             right in front of me that would
             solve this whole case.

                       MR. SMITH
             I don't know why you would feel
             that.

                        DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Didn't you tell me you were an
             amateur potter, that you made bowls
             and vases?


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        86.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. SMITH
             No, I said I was an amateur
             photographer.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Are you positive? Because we found
             potter's clay on the carpet of the
             murder house and I was sure you
             said to me that you worked with
             clay, that you made pots.

                       MR. SMITH
             No. I said my hobby was
             photography, not pottery.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Maybe that was it. The Stewardess
             upstairs said the victims kept
             their curtains open when they made
             love. Could I see some of the
             pictures you took of that Couple?

Mr. Smith can only stare at Detective Atwood. His Adam's
apple moves up and down though he makes no sound. Should he
or shouldn't he?

Finally he throws his arms up in a shrug but in his half-turn
of indecision he happens to spy the Newspaper he tossed at
the passenger seat of his car.

Part of it is draped over the console. The red circles around
the words on that page jump out at him.

                       MR. BROOKS (V.O.)
             Don't - be - stupid -.

Mr. Smith returns his attention to Detective Atwood.

                       MR. SMITH
             You are harassing me, Detective
             Atwood. You know very well I'm not
             a potter and I don't have any
             pictures! So my feeling is that
             your feeling is wrong and that you
             should move your car and let me go
             home.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             What is your job here? What do you
             do?




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        87.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    MR. SMITH
          I'm a mechanical engineer.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          You have to be pretty smart for
          that, don't you?

                     MR. SMITH
          I guess.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Then be smart, Mr. Baffert. You
          lied to me right there at the end.
          I'll be watching you. And when you
          want to tell me the truth, you know
          how to get in touch with me.

She gives him a dazzling smile.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          See you later, alligator.

Atwood walks back to her car and gets in.

INT. UNMARKED POLICE CAR Ñ DAY

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
              (under her breath)
          Goddamit...

As Snyder accelerates away he points to the car's computer
screen.

                    SNYDER
          Captain Lister got us the search
          warrant for Meeks' Chiropractor.

                     DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Good.
              (shakes her head 'no',
                frustrated)
          Goddamit!, that guy knows
          something...
              (meaning Mr. Smith)
          He almost told me and then
          something happened.

                    SNYDER
          You think he did it?

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          I don't think it's that simple.

                                                           88.



EXT. PARKING LOT Ñ DAY

Mr. Smith watches the unmarked police car going away and
wipes the sweat out of his hairline.

INT. AIRPLANE Ñ DAY

We're following a STEWARDESS down the aisle. She stops at a
row and leans over to hand a glass of tomato juice to the
Person in the Window Seat.

                    STEWARDESS
          Here you are, Sir.

Mr. Brooks who now looks like the Man in the picture on the
third Driver's license, accepts the drink.

                       MR. BROOKS
          Thank you.

He takes a sip and resumes his gaze out the window.

                    MR. BROOKS
              (almost inaudible whisper)
          God grant me the Serenity to accept
          the things I cannot change, Courage
          to change the things I can, and
          Wisdom to know the difference...

The earth that he is looking at below is a long way away.

EXT. REDWOOD CITY Ñ LATE AFTERNOON

Come off a sign which reads: STANFORD UNIVERSITY - 2 1/2
miles to an Alamo rental car traveling south on the El Camino
Real.

INT. ALAMO RENTAL CAR Ñ LATE AFTERNOON

In his Pottery-Throwing clothes, Mr. Brooks is behind the
wheel.

There's an Ace Hardware Store bag sitting upright and open on
the passenger seat. We peek over the edge of the bag.

A brand new hatchet with a gleaming blade sits at the bottom.

Mr. Brooks adjusts the rearview mirror. Marshall is on the
passenger side of the back seat.

                    MR. BROOKS
          You're awfully quiet back there.


                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                          89.
CONTINUED:


Without any indication he's been addressed, Marshall
continues to stare stoically ahead.

EXT. EL CAMINO REAL - LATE AFTERNOON

The Alamo Rental car carrying Mr. Brooks continues on.

INT. HIGH CEILING BUNGALOW Ñ NIGHT

It's dark. There's barely enough ambient light to see that we
are close on the knob of the Front Door.

From outside we hear the muffled sound of a Black & Decker
cordless drill and the knob begins to vibrate. Someone is
drilling the lock.

The sound stops. The knob turns. The door opens. A flashlight
is shone into our face.

                       UNIFORMED POLICEMAN (O.S.)
             Mr. Alvin Griffin, this is the
             Chicago Police.

EXT. HIGH CEILING BUNGALOW Ñ NIGHT

From the protection of the doorjamb, a very young UNIFORMED
POLICEMAN is the person shining the flashlight into the
house.

He's flanked on either side of the door by Detective Atwood
and Detective Snyder.

The Officer's flashlight illuminates a short ENTRYWAY with a
HALL immediately off to the left and the LIVING ROOM fading
into darkness, straight ahead.

                       UNIFORMED POLICEMAN
                 (continues)
             We have a warrant to search your
             home and premises. We're coming in.

Flashlight in her left hand and the Glock in her right,
Detective Atwood is the first one across the threshold.

She directs the beam at the wall next to the door; finds the
light switch. Click! Click! Click.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Lights don't work.




                                                    (CONTINUED)

                                                        90.
CONTINUED:


She continues to the Hall. The darkness is so oppressive
there, it seems that her stream of light must struggle to
pierce it.

The Room at the end is the KITCHEN.

With Snyder hanging in the Entryway to protect her back,
Atwood eases the hand with the flashlight around the corner.

The dishwasher, the sink, the cabinets gleam dully back at
her. She steps inside.

A debris field of empty pharmaceutical boxes and vials trails
away from the Refrigerator.

Her flashlight sweeps the rest of the Room. Beyond an open
countertop in the DINING AREA, the light blurs past an oval
of white, and then comes back.

It's the face of a WOMAN!!

Careful of the litter, Atwood moves forward until she can see
that the Woman is sitting in a chair at the far end of the
dining table.

Her throat has been cut. Her head is being held upright by
her hair which is taped to the back of the chair.

She has a pen taped between her fingers, but the Appointment
Book in front of her is drenched in blood.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
                 (calls to the darkness in
                  back of her)
             We have a dead woman in here.

A light and footsteps hurry toward her from the LIVING ROOM.
Atwood swings her light at them.

                       SNYDER
             Hey!

He squints and turns away.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             I thought you were behind me.

                       SNYDER
             The living room is clean.




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        91.
CONTINUED: (2)


Atwood swings her light back onto the dead Woman. The
combined illumination of the flashlights cause the support
joists twelve feet up to throw eerie shadows onto the open
ceiling.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Snyder, meet Mona.

The Uniformed Policeman comes up beside Atwood.

                    UNIFORMED POLICEMAN
          I called it in.

The smell of blood and the sight of the carnage is too much
for him. His gorge rises and he gags.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Do that outside.

The Officer doesn't have to be told twice.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
              (to Snyder, re: the body)
          Meeks did this.

                    SNYDER
          I thought Meeks hung people.

Atwood retraces her steps in the Kitchen.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Meeks is a steroid freak. This
          Refrigerator was always full of
          steroids. Mona was Alvin Griffin's
          niece, receptionist, lover and
          keeper of the keys.

She focuses her flashlight on an open padlock dangling from a
steel band that runs around the Refrigerator. With the barrel
of the Glock she opens the door.

The only edibles inside are a tomato, half a loaf of bread, a
package of hotdogs and some part of a chicken in a KFC box.
The rest of the space is vacant.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Well, the steroids are certainly
          gone.

                    SNYDER
          You think Meeks has Alvin with him?



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                           92.
CONTINUED: (3)


                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Meeks thinks Alvin turned him in.

She shuts the Refrigerator.

                     DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Let's go see what's in the rest of
          the house.

                                         CUT TO:

Atwood and her flashlight pass us. Three feet to her right
and slightly behind is Snyder and his flashlight.

The two Detectives are leaving the Living Room and entering
the HALL toward the bedrooms. The ceiling is low here and it
feels very claustrophobic.

Ahead is a Door painted red.

But before they get to it, there's a Room on the right.
Snyder shines his light in.

It's a BATHROOM. The shower curtain is open. Nobody in the
tub.

The Door ahead is waiting, but there's another Door on the
right. Snyder shines his light in.

This one is a Treatment Room with a Therapy table and shelves
of oils and unguents.

They've come to the red Door. Atwood will open this one.

She turns the knob and pushes. The Door is stuck. She and
Snyder exchange a look.

Snyder shuffles back half a step and flattens himself against
the wall. He shuts off his flashlight.

Atwood takes a deep breath, levers her weight against the
door and pushes.

There's a sudden Snap! Then the door swings freely open. The
beam of Atwood's flashlight reveals a large room containing a
bed, a dresser, a...

CREEEKKK!!! The sound is coming from up in the rafters.
Atwood whips her flashlight in that direction.

For an instant the beam catches a piece of a large shape
falling fast right at her.


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        93.
CONTINUED: (4)


Then it's lost in the darkness and then picked up again in
the reflected light in the Hall. The shape is a naked Man.

WHACK!! The Man nails Atwood in the shoulder. BANG! Her gun
goes off. She bounces into the wall and onto her ass.

Barely slowed the Man continues in an upward arc. His feet
and knees slam into the ceiling. Plaster dust rains.

The Man swings back, past Snyder. He's lost in the darkness
again. Then he swings back into the light and comes to a stop
just inside the bedroom Door.

The Man is hanging from a rope around his neck. He's dead.
His Body is festooned with syringes stuck into his bare
flesh.

In fact two of the needles hold a sheet of paper to the Man's
chest. Printed on the paper in big black letters are the
words:

HA! HA! HA! HA!

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
              (getting to her feet)
          Snyder, this is Alvin Griffin.

EXT. CHICAGO

The gray of dawn is in the sky.

EXT. O'HARE AIRPORT Ñ PRE DAWN

Mr. Brooks, wearing a disguise that makes him look like the
picture on the Driver's license in the first plastic sleeve,
gets into a Taxi.

EXT. SUBURBAN STREET - CHICAGO - DAWN

The Cab drops Mr. Brooks off in front of a house. Mr. Brooks
watches the Cab drive away and then with his Carry-On bag
starts walking in the opposite direction. He turns a corner.

EXT. SECOND SUBURBAN STREET - CHICAGO - DAWN

Still on foot, Mr. Brooks arrives at his non-descript Toyota.
There are also neighborhood cars parked along the street. Mr.
Brooks unlocks his car and throws his Carry-On onto the
passenger seat.

                                                        94.



EXT. FREEWAY - DAWN

Mr. Brooks' Toyota speeds up an on-ramp and joins the light
traffic.

INT. TOYOTA - DAWN

From the back seat Marshall watches Mr. Brooks remove the
pieces of his disguise - a wig, a mustache, glasses, and drop
them in the Carry-On.

                    MARSHALL
          How do you feel?

                      MR. BROOKS
          Dirty.

                    MARSHALL
          That's understandable. You've never
          killed for this reason before. The
          feeling will go away.

                    MR. BROOKS
          I don't think so. It's the whole
          thing, Marshall. If I could find a
          way to just disappear, where there
          was absolutely no trace of me;
          because eventually I will get
          caught doing this. And it'll be
          very embarrassing for me and Emma
          and Jane. So I've been thinking...
          is there a way that Mr. Smith could
          kill me and make me disappear.

                    MARSHALL
          Number one, Mr. Smith is not smart
          enough to do that. Number two,
          there is no reason, if you're
          careful, to believe you will ever
          get caught.

                    MR. BROOKS
          I know I will have to plan it for
          Mr. Smith, but I think that's what
          I want to do.

                    MARSHALL
          I'm not particularly fond of that
          plan, Earl. Remember if you die, I
          go with you and I like being alive.
          I like eating, I like fucking, I
          like killing.


                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                           95.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. BROOKS
             I have to end it, Marshall. One way
             or the other. And I think this is
             the best way.

                       MARSHALL
             Well fuck you then.

EXT. CITY STREET Ñ DAWN

Long ago this was a nice area. A banner hangs from an old
Deco building - ROOMS FOR RENT.

Mr. Brooks is walking through the Parking Lot beside the
Building.

There, as a first car in a double space is the old green
Pontiac convertible. It's blocked in by another car.

Mr. Brooks sidles between the cars to check the license plate
against the one in his memory.

It's the car Thorton Meeks was in, outside the Drug Store.
Mr. Brooks walks away.

INT. CERAMICS STUDIO - DAWN

Mr. Brooks opens the kiln door and removes three pieces
embellished with a beautiful yellow glaze.

He sets them on a table then takes his Carry-On bag and
places it in a ceramic trough which he puts into the kiln.
The door is shut.

INT. KILN Ñ DAWN

Flame erupts from the gas jets.

INT. MASTER BEDROOM - BROOKS HOUSE - DAWN

The Bathroom door opens. Mr. Brooks, in his pajamas, turns
out the light and crosses to the bed. Emma looks up as he
pulls back the covers and gets in.

                       EMMA
             You worked all night.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I had ideas for pots that took too
             long and the clay kept winning...
                 (he kisses her)
             I'll be fine.
                       (MORE)

                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                         96.
CONTINUED:
                       MR. BROOKS (CONT'D)
             And there's a yellow Chinese glaze
             I'm trying to get right...

He lays his head on the pillow and is almost instantly
asleep.

INT. DETECTIVE ATWOOD'S CONDOMINIUM - MORNING

Reflected in the glass of an open mirrored closet door is a
tastefully furnished DEN with floor-to-ceiling windows that
look out at LAKE MICHIGAN from the 20th floor.

An empty suitcase falls into this picture and bounces on the
carpet. Behind the mirrored door, Detective Atwood is atop a
stepstool rummaging through the suitcases on the highest
shelf.

Throughout the Condo there is an incessant ringing of the
phones.

Another suitcase goes down and Atwood finds what she's
looking for - a framed color 8 x 10 photo of her husband,
Jesse. He's in a business suit and holding some kind of
trophy.

The phones stop ringing.

Atwood comes down the stepstool, folds it and is carrying it
back to where it lives when the phones start ringing again.

She picks up a cordless in the Den.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Yes?

INT. LAW OFFICES Ñ MORNING

The Asian Attorney interrupts her sip of coffee.

                       ASIAN ATTORNEY
             Hi Tracy, this is Nancy Tang. We
             received a counter offer. Are you
             sitting down?

INT. DEN - DETECTIVE ATWOOD'S CONDOMINIUM Ñ MORNING

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Yeah, go ahead... He can't get
             that, can he?!

INTERCUT with Nancy.




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                           97.
CONTINUED:


                       NANCY (ASIAN ATTORNEY)
             No, my sense of it is by asking for
             five, they're hoping you'll settle
             anywhere between two five and
             three.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Never. How long can you stall them?

                       NANCY
             They know you want this done
             quickly, so they're going to expect
             a quick counter offer.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             I need two days. Wait two days
             before getting back to them. If
             they call, tell them it's a big
             number, I'm thinking about it.

                       NANCY
             Okay.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             And the picture he wanted...

She slams the frame of Jesse's photo against the inside of a
metal trash can.

Nancy winces and then smiles at the sound of shattering
glass.

Atwood plucks the photo out of the frame and tears it so that
the rip can be heard over the phone.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             ... tell him I couldn't find it.

INT. MASTER BEDROOM - BROOKS HOUSE Ñ MORNING

Mr. Brooks is still asleep. Emma, dressed for the day,
arrives at his side of the bed. She rubs the back of Mr.
Brooks' hand.

                       EMMA
             Earl... Earl...

Mr. Brooks opens his eyes.

                       MR. BROOKS
                 (sleepy, groggy)
             Huh?...


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                         98.
CONTINUED:


                       EMMA
             Roger is on the phone.

INT. KITCHEN Ñ BROOKS HOUSE - MORNING

In his slippers and robe, Mr. Brooks is standing in the
Doorway watching Jane who is leaning over the Counter with an
open Newspaper next to a bowl of cereal.

He has a chance to take a good long look before she feels his
presence and raises her head.

                       JANE
             Oh, Hi, Daddy, I thought you'd
             already be gone.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Roger called. There was another
             murder last night near Stanford.

                       JANE
             Oh...

                       MR. BROOKS
             Done the same way as the one they
             talked to you about. Right down to
             the hatchet being left at the
             scene.

Jane can't quite conceal the tremor of surprise that ripples
through her and Mr. Brooks sees it.

                       MR. BROOKS
             They think they have a serial
             killer. Obviously you were here
             last night, so you're in the clear.

                       JANE
             That's good news, isn't it? I mean
             even if you're innocent it's good
             news to know you're not a suspect.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Oh, yeah. How's the morning
             sickness? Do you want to ride in
             with me today?

                       JANE
             I feel fine, but I don't know how
             long that will last.

Mr. Brooks nods, turns to leave, then turns back.


                                                    (CONTINUED)

                                                           99.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. BROOKS
             Do you love me, Jane?

                        JANE
             Of course I love you, daddy, you're
             my father.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Have you decided whether or not to
             keep the baby?

                          JANE
             Not yet.

                          MR. BROOKS
                 (nods)
             Okay.

EXT. MR. SMITH'S CAR Ñ AFTERNOON

Looking off the grill as it overtakes another car in the
Fastlane.

Eminem is on the stereo. The car ahead moves out of the way.

INT. MR. SMITH'S CAR Ñ AFTERNOON

Mr. Smith is rapping along to "Cleanin' Out My Closet". He
knows all the words.

EXT. FREEWAY Ñ AFTERNOON

With Eminem fading, we fall behind Mr. Smith. One car, two
cars. The third car is Detective Atwood's car.

INT. DETECTIVE ATWOOD'S CAR Ñ AFTERNOON

Atwood is driving. Snyder is in the passenger seat.

                       SNYDER
             What are we doing?

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             'Are we there yet?' , are we there
             yet?' , you sound like a child.
             We're playing a hunch.

                       SNYDER
             We've been following this guy all
             day, he's boring, and everything we
             run on him comes up clean.



                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                         100.
CONTINUED:


                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             If it didn't, it wouldn't be called
             a hunch.

                       SNYDER
             Meeks' finger-prints were all over
             the chiropractor, the note,
             refrigerator, he's the guy we
             should be looking for.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Look where? Please tell me.
             Everyone knows who Meeks is and is
             looking for him. The chiropractor
             was the last link to his old life
             that I know of. The only way we'll
             find him, now, is if someone turns
             him in or we trip over him at a bus
             stop. On the other hand, Detective
             Snyder, no one knows who the
             Thumbprint Killer is or where he
             is. However, I have a fucking hunch
             this guy Baffert does. I have two
             days to play that hunch. If you
             feel like you're wasting your time
             with me, I'd be happy to do it
             alone.

He looks at her and shakes his head.

                       SNYDER
             I had a fight with my wife this
             morning; what's your problem?

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             My husband wants five million
             dollars.

EXT. SUBURBAN STREET Ñ AFTERNOON

Mr. Smith's car enters the Parking Lot of a Rib Joint.
Atwood's car stops across the street.

INT. ATWOOD'S CAR Ñ AFTERNOON

Atwood and Snyder watch Mr. Smith enter the Restaurant. They
wait in silence. A muted 'tone' announces the arrival of an
Email on their computer. Snyder reads and frowns.

                         DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Bad news?



                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                         101.
CONTINUED:


                       SNYDER
             Lister is pulling you off this
             case.

                          DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Why?!

                       SNYDER
             Maybe they caught him.

She twists the screen around so she can read the message.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             No. She would have said that.

Snyder points across the street at Mr. Smith coming out of
the Restaurant carrying a Take-Out bag.

                       SNYDER
             You want to keep following him?

Atwood hesitates.

                       SNYDER
             Lister only said you were off the
             case, not me.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
                 (smiles)
             Good thinking, Tonto.

She starts the car. There's the muted 'tone' again. Atwood
looks at the computer screen.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Shit! She just 86'ed you too.

INT. POLICE STATION Ñ AFTERNOON

Trailed by Snyder, Detective Atwood arrives at Captain
Lister's SECRETARY.

                          DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Is she in?

                       SECRETARY
             She's with someone.

                          DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Good.




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                        102.
CONTINUED:


Atwood blows past the Secretary and opens the door to
Lister's office.

INT. CAPTAIN LISTER'S OFFICE Ñ AFTERNOON

There are two MEN in suits on the other side of the desk from
the Captain. Atwood ignores them and focuses on Lister.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             You promised if I settled my
             divorce I had three days on the
             Thumbprint Killer. I have the rest
             of today and tomorrow left.

                       CAPTAIN LISTER
             Detective Atwood, meet FBI Agents
             Longnecker and Campbell, they're
             taking over your investigation.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             You promised you would keep them
             out of it for three days.

                       CAPTAIN LISTER
             They won't allow me to keep that
             promise.

Atwood glares at her then at the FBI Men.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             This is my case, what you're doing
             is fucked. But since I can't stop
             you, and she won't, here's a tip.
             James Baffert, you should stake him
             out, he knows something.

                       DETECTIVE LONGNECKER
             We have some other ideas we are
             looking into.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Then what's the problem? You do
             that and I'll tail Baffert.

                       DETECTIVE LONGNECKER
             Thank you for all your good work,
             Detective. This is our case now.

Atwood looks from one Man to the Other.




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                          103.
CONTINUED:


                        DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Good luck.
                 (to Captain Lister)
             Later I suppose you'll fill me in
             on what I'm supposed to be doing
             around here. I'm confused.

She leaves. Snyder closes the door behind her.

INT. RECEPTION AREA - BROOKS BOX FACTORY - LATE EVENING

It's deserted with only a small spill of light coming from
Mr. Brooks' Office.

INSIDE

Mr. Brooks is at his desk.

The lamp at his elbow throws a yellow cone across his face.
His head is in his hands, he's been crying.

Marshall steps out of the shadows behind him.

                       MARSHALL
             It's time to go.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Yeah.

He reaches into a bottom drawer and as he takes out an
envelope, Marshall reads the tear-stained hand written letter
resting on the blotter.

                       MARSHALL
             Dear Emma and Jane, my loves, I
             have a terminal illness and instead
             of subjecting you to my
             deterioration, I have decided to
             disappear. Don't try to find me, I
             don't want to be found. Please
             believe that the time I spent with
             you brought me the greatest joy of
             my life. Love. Dad.

Mr. Brooks picks up the letter and folds it.

                       MARSHALL
             So you're going to go through with
             it.

Mr. Brooks stuffs the letter in the envelope, seals it and
picks up a pen.


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                       104.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. BROOKS
             It's all planned to work out,
             Marshall.

On the envelope he writes: For EMMA and JANE.

EXT. STREET Ñ NIGHT

On the sidewalk Mr. Smith is walking toward the on-coming
traffic. The headlights make it difficult to tell one car
from the other until they pass. That doesn't keep him from
looking for Mr. Brooks.

The houses stop and he's passing a pocket park. In a dark
space between the street lamps, a hand falls on Mr. Smith's
shoulder. He jumps and a scream squeaks out of his throat.
It's Mr. Brooks, in his Pottery-Throwing clothes.

                       MR. BROOKS
                 (smiles)
             Are you ready to rock and roll, Mr.
             Smith?

Mr. Smith swallows hard and nods. Mr. Brooks propels him into
the park.

INT. MR. BROOKS' CAR Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Brooks is driving. Mr. Smith is in the passenger seat.
Both are lost in a wary silence. Abruptly from the back seat:

                       MARSHALL
             I smell gun oil, a gun oil that's
             different than yours.

                       MR. BROOKS
             He brought his gun. After he gets
             what he wants he plans to kill me.

                       MARSHALL
             Ah... now I get it. You were
             counting on that, weren't you?

                       MR. BROOKS
             It has a certain logic.

                       MARSHALL
             But if your plan is to have him
             kill you, why do you have to kill
             someone else first?




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                       105.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. BROOKS
             He'll need to see that to get up
             the courage to kill me.

Marshall roars with laughter.

                       MARSHALL
             Not even you believe that, Earl. It
             makes it more exciting, doesn't it,
             to think he's going to kill you
             after you kill someone else. You're
             getting your rocks off big time,
             that's why you're doing it.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Not true... and if it were, so
             what?
                 (to Mr. Smith)
             You're goddamn great, you know. To
             have the balls to do this.

                       MR. SMITH
             I'm pretty nervous but that's
             normal right?

                       MR. BROOKS
             Perfectly normal.

INT. DETECTIVE ATWOOD'S CONDOMINIUM Ñ NIGHT

Atwood is propped up in bed reading a Magazine. Her hair is
pulled back and her face glistens with Cold Cream.

The phone rings. Should she answer it? It rings again, then
again. Reluctantly she grabs the receiver.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Hello... Oh, yes, yes.
                 (she sits up)
             Put him through... Hi, this is
             Detective Atwood speaking, thanks
             for calling...Yes, your roommate
             said you were in Tokyo... Anything,
             if you saw anything at all it might
             be helpful.

INT. FOUR STORY APARTMENT BUILDING Ñ NIGHT

A MAN in a Flight Attendant's uniform is standing at the
window of the Apartment he shares with the Stewardess.




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        106.
CONTINUED:


A cordless phone to his ear, he is looking down at the House
where the dance Couple was murdered.

                       FLIGHT ATTENDANT
             The weird thing is that they closed
             their curtains, at first they were
             open like they always were and they
             were making love, which they always
             did, and then when I looked again
             the curtains were closed, and there
             were what looked like camera
             flashes coming from behind the
             curtains.

INTERCUT with Detective Atwood.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Camera flashes?

                       FLIGHT ATTENDANT
             That's what it looked like.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
                 (almost to herself)
             That's why he poses them.

                          FLIGHT ATTENDANT
             I'm sorry?

                          DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Nothing.

                       FLIGHT ATTENDANT
             I wish I could be more helpful, I
             didn't see the killer or anything
             like that, but since it was weird I
             thought I should call.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             You've been very helpful. This
             answers a lot of questions for me.
             Thank you very much, Mr. Struber.

She's about to hang up when Struber speaks again.

                       FLIGHT ATTENDANT
             The guy you should talk to is the
             guy on the floor below us...
                       (MORE)




                                                    (CONTINUED)

                                                          107.
CONTINUED: (2)
                    FLIGHT ATTENDANT (CONT'D)
          eh, I can't remember his name, but
          he told me once that he'd taken
          some great pictures of that Couple
          making love, he's the one you
          should speak to.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Would that be, Mr. Baffert?

                    FLIGHT ATTENDANT
          Yeah, I think Jim or James...

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Thank you very much.

Atwood disconnects then quickly dials.

                     DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Snyder, meet me at Baffert's
          apartment with a Search Warrant...
          Listen to me, this is what you tell
          the judge.

INT. APARTMENT BUILDING Ñ NIGHT

Coming up the back STAIRS we arrive at a LANDING and make a
right. In front of us is Mr. Smith watching Mr. Brooks pick
the deadbolt in the Service door.

CLICK!

Mr. Brooks straightens up, twists the handle and pushes the
door inward. It's caught by a chain. He takes the bent rubber-
tipped forceps from one pocket, from another he hands Mr.
Smith a pair of latex gloves.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Put these on.

INT. APARTMENT Ñ NIGHT

In the middle of the large darkened KITCHEN, Mr. Brooks
pauses to listen to the sounds of the Apartment.

The gun with the silencer is already in his right hand. Both
are encased in a Ziplock bag.

Beside him, Mr. Smith is wide eyed with fear and
anticipation. His teeth are even chattering.

                     MR. BROOKS
          Try a couple deep breaths through
          your nose.


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                          108.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. SMITH
             I have to take a crap so bad.

                       MR. BROOKS
             This won't take long.

Mr. Brooks and Mr. Smith come out of the Kitchen. The LIVING
ROOM is quite well appointed. There's a fire going in the
Fireplace.

The sound of a T.V. is coming from a ROOM off a HALL up
ahead. That is where Mr. Brooks and Mr. Smith are headed.

They're more than half way across the LIVING ROOM when DING!
DONG!, the doorbell rings.

Mr. Smith gasps and looks beseechingly at Mr. Brooks. Without
an ounce of hurry, Mr. Brooks maneuvers him back into the
shadows of the KITCHEN.

The doorbell rings again.

A wet spot appears in Mr. Smith's crotch and runs down his
pant leg. Pee drips onto the linoleum.

A Man comes out of the Hallway. The Living Room light goes
on.

The Man is Jesse, Detective Atwood's estranged husband.

He opens the Front Door.

The Woman who comes in is Sheila, his divorce lawyer.

They kiss, tongues. His hands brush over her breasts. He
begins to unbutton her blouse. The kiss breaks. As he
continues unbuttoning.

                       SHEILA
             I called your wife's lawyer.
             They're thinking about the five
             million dollars.

Jesse opens the blouse and looks at the breasts under the
bra.

                       JESSE
             Realistically how much do you think
             we can get?

Sheila gives him a quick kiss and moves on into the LIVING
ROOM where she drops her briefcase on the couch.


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                        109.
CONTINUED: (2)


                     SHEILA
          If we go to court, best case, two,
          if she wants to settle, best case,
          three, but I would be happy with
          two seven.

Backlit by the Fireplace, Jesse kisses her again.

From the KITCHEN, Mr. Brooks and Mr. Smith watch Jesse unzip
Sheila's slacks and dropping to his knees peel them off her
legs.

She steps out of them. He kisses the inside of her thighs,
her crotch, then standing up:

                    JESSE
          I'll be right back.

On his way out of the LIVING ROOM:

                    JESSE
          I think we should hold firm for
          three.

He shuts off the light. In the glow of the Fireplace, Sheila
removes her jacket.

                    SHEILA
          Let's not be piggish, two five, two
          seven, would be a good deal.

The T.V. goes silent. Jesse returns with a partially full
glass of Champagne.

He hands Sheila a glass from a side table, takes a bottle out
of an ice bucket and as he fills her glass:

                    SHEILA
              (teasing)
          You've already had half a bottle.

                    JESSE
          You're late; if we want it, there's
          more.

They clink glasses.

                      SHEILA
          To us.

                    JESSE
          To three million dollars.


                                                    (CONTINUED)

                                                       110.
CONTINUED: (3)


                    SHEILA
              (after a sip)
          We have to do this fast because
          remember, Marie is meeting us here.

                    JESSE
          We could ask her to join us.

                       SHEILA
          Not funny.

                    JESSE
              (undoing the front of her
               bra)
          I wasn't trying to be.

She bops him playfully. He bends and slips a nipple into his
mouth. Sheila bites her lip and moans.

In the KITCHEN, Mr. Smith shifts around for a better view.
The floor under him CRREEEKKS!

In the LIVING ROOM, both Sheila and Jesse react to the sound.

                    SHEILA
          Are we alone?

                       JESSE
          Yeah.

Mr. Brooks seems to appear magically out of the darkened
Kitchen with his gun raised. He's followed by Mr. Smith.
Sheila opens her mouth to scream.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Don't do that.

INT. MR. SMITH'S APARTMENT BUILDING Ñ NIGHT

Detective Atwood hurries down the HALL and out of breath,
stops in front of Mr. Smith's door. She raps sharply. Waits a
bare three seconds and raps again.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Mr. Baffert?... Mr. Baffert?

The door of the Apartment behind her opens and an OLDER WOMAN
sticks her head out.

                       OLDER WOMAN
          He's gone.



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                          111.
CONTINUED:


Atwood shows her badge.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Do you have any idea when he'll be
             back?

                       OLDER WOMAN
             He skipped out. I heard him leave
             this evening and a few minutes
             later there were Movers here. Musta
             been behind on the rent. He didn't
             even say good-bye.

                          DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Thank you.

As the Old Lady watches, Atwood tries the knob. It's
unlocked. She pushes the door open.

The HALLWAY and LIVING ROOM she can see are completely empty.
Furniture, T.V., camera equipment, art, gone.

                       OLDER WOMAN
             I told you.

INT. MR. SMITH'S APARTMENT Ñ NIGHT

On her way in, Atwood draws her gun.

Keeping close to the walls she audits the KITCHEN. All the
Cabinet doors are open. Dishes, pots and pans, cutlery, gone.

She moves on to the BATHROOM. Soap, shampoo, toilet paper,
toothpaste, toothbrushes, towels, washcloths, the contents of
the Medicine Cabinet, gone.

She moves on to the BEDROOM. Bed, night table, lamps, T.V.,
computer, gone. Clothes closets, empty of everything.

She looks around. Mr. Smith's entire Apartment has been
stripped absolutely clean, except...

... there's a crumpled piece of paper in the far corner of
the Bedroom.

Atwood goes over and gets down on one knee. With her fingers
pulling at the corners she is able to straighten the paper
enough to make out that it's a work order from a Moving
company.




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                         112.
CONTINUED:


Reading it with the paper pinched between thumb and
forefinger of her left hand, Atwood rises. There's the
silhouette of a Man in the doorway behind her.

                       MAN
             Obviously Baffert's gone...

Atwood whirls, gun up. She sees that it's Snyder.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
                 (overlapping)
             Goddamit, Snyder. Knock.

                       SNYDER
             I wasn't able to get the search
             warrant.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             We may have gotten lucky.
                 (holding up the paper)
             This is the Moving Company's work
             order and...
                 (points))
             ... it looks like this is the
             address where they're taking
             Baffert's stuff.

                       SNYDER
             Where were you when you called me?

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             At home in bed.

                       SNYDER
             Can you prove that?

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             I was home in bed, why should I
             have to prove that?

                       SNYDER
             Your husband Jesse and his lawyer
             were killed tonight...

Atwood slowly lowers her head and fixes her eyes on the floor
in stunned silence.

                       SNYDER
             It looks like the Thumbprint
             Killer, I've been ordered to bring
             you in for questioning.



                                                    (CONTINUED)

                                                        113.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Why, I didn't want Jesse dead, I
          loved him, I hated what he was
          doing to me...

                    SNYDER
          It's on record you said you'd like
          him dead and who better to fake a
          Thumbprint killing than you.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          You can't actually believe I would
          do that.

                    SNYDER
          If our jobs have taught us
          anything, Tracy, is that people do
          strange things. They just want to
          ask you some questions.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          I will be happy to answer any
          questions after we check out this
          address.

Atwood goes to leave the room. Snyder blocks her way.

                    SNYDER
          I have to take you in, Tracy.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
              (waves the paper)
          This is the answer to the
          Thumbprint Killer, Snyder, and this
          is where I'm going and you're not
          going to stop me.

                    SNYDER
          Don't make me cuff you, Tracy,
          because I will if I have to.

Atwood smiles winningly.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          I believe you would.

                    SNYDER
              (smiles back)
          You can count on it.




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                       114.
CONTINUED: (3)


Snyder never sees it coming. WHACK! Atwood's right cross
nails him exactly where the jaw meets the neck and down he
goes on his ass.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
              (standing over him)
          It would be nice if you could come
          with me, but if you do and it goes
          bad, they'll burn your ass. So this
          never happened.

EXT. FREEWAY Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Brooks' car speeds under an overpass.

INT. MR. BROOKS' CAR Ñ NIGHT

                    MR. SMITH
          That was great! It was fantastic!
          It was everything I hoped it would
          be. Thank you.

                    MR. BROOKS
          You're welcome.

In the back seat:

                    MARSHALL
          Here comes the gun.

Without taking his eyes off the road.

                       MR. BROOKS
          Yup.

Mr. Smith slides a pistol from under his jacket and points it
at Mr. Brooks.

                    MR. BROOKS
              (feigns surprise)
          What are you doing?!

                    MR. SMITH
          You're smart enough to figure that
          out, Mr. Brooks.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Well we're going sixty five miles
          an hour, Mr. Smith, if you shoot me
          now, there's a good chance we'll
          both die.



                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                       115.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. SMITH
             Not now. Take the next off ramp.

                       MR. BROOKS
             That wouldn't be very smart of me
             would it?

He accelerates around a truck into the Fastlane. Mr. Smith
can see the Exit coming up, it's quickly left behind.

                       MR. BROOKS
                 (matter of fact)
             Think about this. You pissed
             yourself back there, you left your
             DNA at the scene of a double
             homicide, and there's nothing to
             indicate that I was ever there. If
             the Cops do an analysis of that
             urine, and they will, you're the
             Thumbprint Killer.

                        MR. SMITH
                 (smug)
             No. I still have pictures of you
             doing the first murder.

Mr. Brooks smiles a knowing smile. Beyond him on the other
side of the Divider, cars are zipping by in the opposite
direction.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Yes. But what were you doing at the
             second murder?

Mr. Smith doesn't have an answer for that.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Let me help you with a thought. You
             say I forced you to come along and
             if I'm not here or more
             specifically my body is not here to
             say different, you might have a
             chance to beat the rap. Now you're
             probably asking yourself why I
             would help you. I'm tired, Mr.
             Smith, I'm tired of killing. But
             I'm an addict, I can't quit. I've
             tried. I can't do it on my own. So
             I'll let you kill me but I want you
             to do it smart, in a way that I
             disappear and my family never knows
             what I was.


                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                       116.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    MR. SMITH
          How do I do that?

                    MR. BROOKS
          There's a cemetery I know about. We
          find an open grave, you shoot me, I
          fall in the grave, you shovel in
          just enough earth to cover me,
          tomorrow a casket is lowered onto
          me and I've disappeared. It's a
          good plan. What do you say?...

                    MR. SMITH
          Why should I trust you?

                    MR. BROOKS
          You don't have to trust me. You're
          the man holding the gun, you saw me
          put mine in the trunk.

                    MR. SMITH
          I don't know. You really want me to
          kill you?

                    MR. BROOKS
          Yes.

                    MR. SMITH
          Okay... But any sudden moves and
          you're dead on the spot and I'll
          make sure your family knows what
          you are.

                    MR. BROOKS
          I understand.

EXT. OLD DECO BUILDING Ñ NIGHT

Come off the banner hanging across the front - ROOMS FOR
RENT, to find Atwood walking away from her car.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
              (to herself, regarding the
               Building)
          You've come down in the world, Mr.
          Baffert.

INT. LOBBY - OLD DECO BUILDING Ñ NIGHT

High ceilings, once grand, now blue neon and a cage around
the Front Desk to protect the Night Clerk who is nowhere in
sight. Somewhere a radio is playing salsa music loud.


                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                       117.
CONTINUED:


Atwood crosses to the elevator. She pushes the call button.
With an arthritic rattle the door opens.

INT. ELEVATOR Ñ NIGHT

Atwood selects the 5th Floor. Creek!, Clatter!, Clank!, the
door closes and after a stuttering liftoff the car begins its
ascent. The overhead light flickers on and off. Atwood looks
up at it.

EXT. SIDEWALK Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Brooks leads Mr. Smith across a street to a pedestrian
gate set in a high wall.

Through the bars of the gate we can see a Cemetery bathed in
moonlight.

Mr. Brooks reaches into his pocket. Mr. Smith tightens his
grip on the gun.

                       MR. SMITH
             Uh uh, take your hand out real
             slow.

Mr. Brooks does as he's told. A key dangles from his fingers.

                       MR. BROOKS
             It's locked. You don't want to
             climb over, do you?

                       MR. SMITH
             What are you doing with a key to a
             cemetery?

                         MR. BROOKS
             I own it.

                       MR. SMITH
             Why do you own a cemetery?

Mr. Brooks unlocks the gate and preceding Mr. Smith, goes
inside.

                       MR. BROOKS
             You always want to invest in things
             people can't do without. Water and
             cemeteries are pretty safe.

He locks the gate and handing the key to Mr. Smith:




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                          118.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. BROOKS
             You'll need this to get out. Now
             there should be an open grave
             around here somewhere. Let's see if
             we can find it.

He produces a small flashlight from his pocket and off they
go.

INT. OLD DECO BUILDING Ñ NIGHT

Repeating their arthritic performance the elevator doors
open. Atwood steps out into a wide sporadically lit HALLWAY.

Peering at the numbers Atwood goes to her Left.

In the middle of the Hall behind her a Couple exits a Room
and drifts to the other side of the Hall on their way to the
elevator.

Atwood re-checks the number on the Moving Company's Work
Order - 517, she's going the wrong way. She turns around.

Now Atwood and the Couple are walking toward each other on
opposite sides of the Hall.

Atwood steps into an area of light.

The reflection off her face catches the attention of the Man
who is wearing a wide brimmed hat. He lifts his head.

It's Thorton Meeks. The Woman with him was the Driver of the
Van. She's wearing a watchcap.

Meeks gently takes his Companion's arm. They stop. Her eyes
go to where he's looking and then back to his. At some
unspoken signal they both draw their guns.

Intent on finding 517 and Baffert, the Couple hasn't
registered on Atwood's radar.

BANG! TWOCK! A chunk of plaster blows off the wall next to
her head. Startled, Atwood winces away. BANG! The Woman
fires. The slug explodes the plaster on the other side of
Atwood's head.

Now Atwood is turning toward them, gun in hand.

Meeks fires. The bullet passes through Atwood's jacket.




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                       119.
CONTINUED:


Instinctively Atwood assumes a classic duelist's pose
offering the smallest target possible. Calmly she squeezes
off her first shot.

The plaster explodes from the wall above Meeks' head. The
Woman fires.

A hole appears in Atwood's sleeve. Atwood pulls the trigger
again.

SMACK! The Woman screams and falls back into Meeks, a bullet
in her hip. Atwood's third shot takes the hat off Meeks head.
She now realizes who her attackers are.

                        DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Meeks?!!

Dragging the Woman in the direction of the stairs, BANG!
Meeks fires. Maybe it's his broken trigger finger that
affects his aim. The shots miss. BANG! BANG! The Woman fires.

Atwood's next two shots miss.

Meeks and the Woman arrive at the stairs and before rounding
the corner, BANG! BANG! BANG!, fire at Atwood who is now
moving deliberately at them.

Atwood doesn't try and dodge the bullets or flinch away from
them and her shots are unhurried.

The next one catches the Woman in the side. The one after
that nails Meeks in the left shoulder. He's spun into the
Woman.

INT. STAIRS - OLD DECO BUILDING Ñ NIGHT

Leaning on each other Meeks and the Woman lurch down the worn
marble steps.

INT. HALLWAY Ñ OLD DECO BUILDING - NIGHT

Atwood reaches the stairs and cheats a look around the
corner. BANG! BANG! BANG! From the landing below, Meeks and
the Woman fire.

Atwood steps out from behind the wall and shoulders square,
shoots. Another sidestep. This shot shatters Meeks' knee. He
bellows in pain.




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                          120.
CONTINUED:


Moving to the side again, Atwood shoots. But Meeks' knee has
collapsed and he and the Woman are already tumbling down the
next set of steps. Atwood waits. There's silence, then the
murmur of voices.

                       MEEKS
                 (calls out)
             Atwood?

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Yeah.

                       MEEKS
             Come on down, there's something I
             want to show you.

INT. STAIRS - OLD DECO BUILDING Ñ NIGHT

Gun at the ready, Atwood edges her way downward. At about the
tenth step she is able to lean over and look through the
banisters.

Meeks and the Woman are propping themselves up against the
wall on the LANDING below. Both of them still have their
guns.

The moment Meeks' eyes meet Atwood's, he puts his gun to the
Woman heads. BANG!

Atwood sucks in her breath.

Meeks puts the gun to his temple. BANG!

Atwood clasps a hand to her mouth and exhales in ragged
gulps.

EXT. CEMETERY Ñ NIGHT

The finger of light from Mr. Brooks' handtorch discovers a
freshly dug GRAVE.

                       MR. BROOKS
             There we are. Now if I stand
             here...

He positions himself at one end of the Grave.

                       MR. BROOKS
             ... and you stand there, not too
             far away and you shoot me, I should
             fall straight back into the hole.



                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                         121.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. SMITH
             You don't think I have the guts to
             do this do you?

                       MR. BROOKS
             I'm hoping you do.

Mr. Brooks shuts off his light and straightens up.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Okay, let's get this over with.

Mr. Smith raises his gun and points it at Mr. Brooks's head.
He hesitates.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I'll close my eyes.

He does. Mr. Smith pulls the trigger.

Click!

Mr. Smith looks in horror at the malfunctioning gun. Mr.
Brooks opens his eyes. Mr. Smith aims the gun again.

Click!... Click!

                          MR. BROOKS
             I'm sorry.

As he talks he counters around until Mr. Smith is the one
with his back to the open Grave.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I really did want you to kill me.
             But in case at the last minute I
             changed my mind, I returned to your
             apartment and bent the firing pin
             on your gun.

He wrenches the shovel out of a mound of waiting earth. Mr.
Smith tries to fire the gun at Mr. Brooks again.

CLICK!... CLICK!

                       MR. BROOKS
             In fact I even brought another gun
             for you so you could finish me if I
             had decided to go through with it.

He opens his jacket and shows Mr. Smith the gun.



                                                     (CONTINUED)

                                                       122.
CONTINUED: (2)


                    MR. BROOKS
          Unfortunately for you, my daughter
          is pregnant and just before you
          pulled the trigger, I realized how
          much I want to see the end to that
          story.

                    MR. SMITH
              (dry mouth)
          If you do anything to me, if you
          touch one hair on my head, the
          Police will find the pictures of
          you killing that Couple.

                    MR. BROOKS
          The contents of your safety deposit
          box, Mr. Smith, have vanished.

Without warning, Mr. Brooks swings the shovel. The force of
the blow breaks Mr. Smith's left arm. He howls.

The next blow comes almost immediately. It smashes into the
left side of Mr. Smith's head.

The screams stop and a misfiring set of neurons causes Mr.
Smith to stand up straight and wobbling, look directly at Mr.
Brooks.

The blood streaming down his face is black in the moonlight.

Mr. Brooks takes a step to the side, cocks his wrists and
swings again. His full weight is behind this one.

The blade of the shovel strikes Mr. Smith in the throat very
nearly taking off his head. The flesh that was once Mr. Smith
falls to the ground.

                    MR. BROOKS
              (looking down at the
               corpse)
          Before I was the Thumbprint Killer,
          Mr. Smith, I killed a lot of people
          in a lot of different ways.

INT. GRAVE Ñ NIGHT

Looking up. Mr. Smith's body is rolled over the edge. It
falls on top of us.

                                                       123.



EXT. CEMETERY Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Brooks takes a shovel of dirt from the pile and whistling
'By The Light Of The Silvery Moon', begins the task of
covering Mr. Smith.

INT. COFFEE SHOP Ñ MORNING

A Newspaper is lying unfolded on the Counter next to the
remnants of a breakfast.

The headline reads - NATIONWIDE MANHUNT FOR THUMBPRINT KILLER
- Under that headline is a large picture of Mr. Smith aka Mr.
Baffert.

In the lower right corner is another headline to a story -
Murder Suicide For The Hangman -.

The reader of the paper is Mr. Brooks. On a stool next to
him, Marshall is also reading.

                    MARSHALL
          It says here the Thumbprint Killer
          is a monster... annoys you a little
          bit that you can't take credit,
          doesn't it?

                    MR. BROOKS
          Anyone who is good at what they do,
          wants recognition. But since I'm
          not going to do it anymore, I'll
          let Mr. Smith take the credit.

                    MARSHALL
          Don't kid yourself, Earl, you're
          going to kill again.

                    MR. BROOKS
          No, I'm not. I'll continue the AA
          meetings and I'll control it.

On the other stool next to Mr. Brooks is a WOMAN. Her large
purse hangs open from the back of the stool; the cel phone
clearly visible inside. Mr. Brooks looks at the phone.

                    MR. BROOKS
          But there is an answer I would like
          to have.

                                                       124.



INT. POLICE STATION Ñ MORNING

Detective Atwood is seated in her CUBICLE reading the same
front page Mr. Brooks was reading. A FELLOW OFFICER stops in
the door.

                    OFFICER
          Good work, Atwood.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Thanks, Tom.

He moves on. From off screen:

                    ANOTHER OFFICER
          You should ask the FBI to kiss your
          ass and buy you a Cadillac.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          I like my ass too much for that.

Snyder comes in and holds up the Work Order from the Moving
Company.

                    SNYDER
          This is bogus. The company doesn't
          exist in the city, the state, the
          United States or Canada.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          So the whole point of this piece of
          paper was to give me Meeks.

                    SNYDER
          That's what it looks like.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          Why? Who moved him, where did they
          move him to, and why did he give me
          Meeks?

                    SNYDER
          That's what we get paid to find
          out.

Atwood picks up the Newspaper.

                    DETECTIVE ATWOOD
          I'm going to go to the bathroom and
          think about this.

She stands. The phone rings. She answers it.


                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                       125.
CONTINUED:


                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Detective Atwood...

EXT. ROOFTOP PARKING LOT Ñ MORNING

Looking out at the city, Mr. Brooks speaks into the cel phone
he stole from the Woman.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Why are you a cop?

INTERCUT with Atwood.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Who is this?

                       MR. BROOKS
             You're rich, you have a good
             education, you could have gone into
             your father's business, instead you
             went outside all of that and became
             successful on your own. Why?

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             You want something from me if you
             don't tell me who you are I'm going
             to hang up.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Did you think your husband's
             killing was random and I certainly
             didn't have to give you Meeks.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Mr. Baffert?!

Snyder perks up. She points for him to get on the other line.

                       MR. BROOKS
             What's the answer?

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             You don't sound like you.

                       MR. BROOKS
             I have a little cold. Are you going
             to give me the answer?

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Where are you?




                                                   (CONTINUED)

                                                          126.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. BROOKS
             I'll tell you if you can give me
             the true answer to my question.

Detective Atwood weighs her options and decides to go for it.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             My father was very disappointed I
             was born a girl and he let me know
             that. I've spent my whole life
             trying to prove him wrong.

                          MR. BROOKS
             Thank you.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Wait. You promised to tell me where
             you are.

                       MR. BROOKS
             Me? I'm on top of a building.

Atwood and Snyder hear the click as Mr. Brooks hangs up.

                       DETECTIVE ATWOOD
             Why would he be interested in that?

At the Parking structure, Mr. Brooks holds the phone over the
edge and drops it.

We follow the phone down, down, down, until it hits the
pavement and disintegrates.

EXT. BROOKS HOUSE Ñ NIGHT

Everything is as it was.

INT. KITCHEN - BROOKS HOUSE Ñ NIGHT

It's dark. In his robe and pajamas, Mr. Brooks is standing in
front of the open refrigerator gazing blankly at the contents
with a glass of milk in one hand. There's nothing he wants in
here. He closes the door.

INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY Ñ BROOKS HOUSE - NIGHT

Carrying the glass of milk, Mr. Brooks passes Jane's ROOM.
The door is ajar. He stops, backs up and looks. His
Daughter's asleep.

                                                       127.



INT. JANE'S BEDROOM - BROOKS HOUSE Ñ NIGHT

Mr. Brooks walks to the bed and leans over to give her a kiss
on the cheek.

His lips have just brushed her flesh when she twists
violently under him and stabs upward with a pair of scissors.
The blades are driven deep into his throat. Mr. Brooks jerks
back, the milk flies out of his hand.

                    MR. BROOKS
          Agghhh!!! Agghhh!!!

He grabs at the handle of the scissors, but his blood makes
them too slippery. He can't pull them out.

                    EMMA (V.O.)
          Honey, Earl, Earl...

INT. MASTER BEDROOM Ñ BROOKS HOUSE - NIGHT

Mr. Brooks is tossing in his sleep next to Emma. She has a
hold of his arm.

                    EMMA
          Wake up, wake up...

On the pillow Mr. Brooks' eyes fly open.

                    EMMA
          You were having a nightmare.

                    MR. BROOKS
              (breathing hard)
          Oh... I woke you up.

                       EMMA
          It's okay.

She kisses him on the forehead.

                    EMMA (CONT'D)
          I'm here, go back to sleep, I'm
          here.

Taking his hand, she lies back down. After a moment Mr.
Brooks turns over on his side and looks directly at us. His
lips begin to move but we can't hear what he's saying, so we
move in on his face. It's not until it fills our view that we
can hear the words.




                                                  (CONTINUED)

                                                   128.
CONTINUED:


                       MR. BROOKS
             ... that I may be reasonably happy
             in this life, And supremely happy
             with Him forever in the next. Amen.
             .... God grant me the Serenity to
             accept...



FADE TO BLACK


                         THE END



Mr Brooks



Writers :   Bruce A. Evans  Raynold Gideon
Genres :   Crime  Drama  Thriller


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