UTTP (UTubeTrollPolice)

FUCK the UTTP - shrek 1 is better 
the uttp is fucking stupid lmao idiotic children doing bad shit on the internet lolololol 
SHREK 1 SCRIPT: (The DreamWorks Pictures logo plays out, with dreamy music playing underneath. At the end of the logo, the S's in "DreamWorks" and "SKG" turn green and grow out ogre ears, matching the film's logo. Credits saying "DreamWorks Pictures Presents" and "A PDI/DreamWorks Production" appear.) 
(A ray of light shines down on a leather-bound storybook. The book opens and a Scottish-accented voice begins reading its text)
Shrek: Once upon a time there was a lovely princess. But she had an enchantment upon her of a fearful sort which could only be broken by love's first kiss. She was locked away in a castle guarded by a terrible fire-breathing dragon. Many brave knights had attempted to free her from this dreadful prison, but none prevailed. She waited in the dragon's keep in the highest room of the tallest tower. For her true love and true love's first kiss.
(Shrek chuckles and rips out a page of the book and closes it)
Shrek: Like that's ever gonna happen. What a load of - (toilet flushes)
("All Star" by Smash Mouth Playing)
(We see an outhouse and hear the sound of a toilet flushing. Out steps Shrek, an ogre, who tugs at his underwear and shakes his foot of the page still stuck to his shoe. He looks lovingly at the swamp he calls home, and goes about his daily routine. Which is taking a mud shower, brushing his teeth with bugs, bathing in a muddy pond, gathering giant slugs for dinner, and painting a warning sign)
(In a nearby village, an angry mob gather up to go after Shrek. At night they gather their torches and pitchforks and enter the swamp, trampling over Shrek's warning signs. Shrek sees them after investigating the commotion, rolling his eyes. The villagers stop outside Shrek's home, unaware that Shrek is sneaking up behind them)
NIGHT - NEAR SHREK'S SWAMP
Villager 1: Think it's in there?
Villager 2: All right. Let's get it!
Villager 1: Whoa. Hold on. Do you know what that thing can do to you?
Villager 3: Yeah, it'll grind your bones for its bread.
(Shrek chuckles, revealing himself to be standing behind the mob)
Shrek: Yes, well, actually, that would be a giant.
(The mob gasps)
Shrek: Now, ogres, oh they're much worse. They'll make a suit from your freshly peeled skin...
(Shrek slowly approaches as the villagers back away in fear)
Villager: No!
Shrek: They'll shave your liver. Squeeze the jelly from your eyes! Actually, it's quite good on toast.
Villager 1: Back! Back, beast! Back! I warn ya!
(The villager waves his torch in Shrek's face. Shrek casually licks his fingers and pinches the flame, extinguishing the torch. The villager drops it)
Villager 1: Right.
(Shrek terrifies the mob with a great frightening roar, his spit extinguishing all the remaining torches. He wipes his mouth and waits for the villagers to stop screaming)
Shrek: (whispering) This is the part where you run away.
Villagers: (gasping)
(Shrek laughs as the men drop their torches and pitchforks and run away as fast they can)
Shrek: And stay out!
(He looks down and picks up a wanted poster dropped by one of the villagers. He reads it aloud)
SHREK: "Wanted. Fairytale creatures"?
(He sighs and walks off. dropping the poster to the ground)
THE NEXT DAY - FOREST
Fairy tale creatures are put in chains and led into wagons by Duloc Guards. The Captain of the Duloc Guards sits at a table paying a line of people their rewards for turning in the fairytale creatures. Those waiting in line include Peter Pan, who is carrying Tinkerbell in a cage, Geppetto who is carrying Pinocchio, and a farmer carrying the Three Little Pigs.
Guard: All right. This one's full. Take it away! Move it along. Come on! Get up!
The Captain: Next!
Guard: (Taking the witch's broom) Give me that! Your flying days are over. (breaks the broom in half)
The Captain: That's 20 pieces of silver for the witch. Next!
(The captain hands over the reward to the villager who turned the witch in. The villager mutters to himself)
Villager: Lousy 20 pieces.
Guard: Get up! Come on!
(Waiting in line is Donkey on a leash and his owner. He looks in horror at the witch and a group of dwarves being loaded into a wagon)
Guard: Sit down there! Keep quiet!
Mama Bear and Papa Bear are locked inside giant cages, with Little Bear in his own cage
Little Bear: (crying) This cage is too small.
Donkey: (To his owner) Please, don't turn me in. I'll never be stubborn again. I can change. Please! Give me another chance!
Old Woman: Oh, shut up. (smacks Donkey)
The Captain: Next! What have you got?
Geppetto: This little wooden puppet.
Pinocchio: I'm not a puppet. I'm a real boy. (his nose grows)
The Captain: 5 shillings for the possessed toy. Take it away.
Pinocchio: Father, please! Don't let them do this! Help me!
(Geppetto takes the money and walks off. The old woman steps up to the table)
The Captain: Next! What have you got?
Old Woman: Well, I've got a talking donkey.
The Captain: Right. Well, that's good for 10 shillings. If you can prove it.
Old Woman: Oh, go ahead, little fella. (Donkey stays silent)
The Captain: Well?
Old Woman: Oh, oh, he's just...he's just a little nervous. He's really quite a chatterbox. (Smacks Donkey again) Talk, you boneheaded dolt, talk!
The Captain: That's it. I've heard enough. Guards!
Old Woman: No, no, he talks! He does. (Moving Donkey's lips) I can talk. I love to talk. I'm the talking-est damn thing you ever saw.
The Captain: Get her out of my sight.
Old Woman: No, no! I swear! Oh! He can talk!
(The guards grab the old woman and she struggles with them. One of her legs flies out and kicks Tinkerbell out of Peter Pan's hands, and her cage drops on Donkey's head. He gets sprinkled with fairy dust and starts floating upwards)
Donkey: Hey! I can fly!
Peter Pan: He can fly!
3 Little Pigs: He can fly!
The Captain: He can talk!
Donkey: Ha, ha! That's right, fool! Now I'm a flying, talking donkey. You might have seen a housefly, maybe even a superfly but I bet you ain't never seen a donkey fly. Ha, ha! (The pixie dust's effects begin to wear off) Uh-oh. (He drops out of the air and hits the ground with a thud)
The Captain: Seize him!
(Donkey dodges the guards as they try to grab him and runs deeper into the forest)
Guards: After him! He's getting away! Get him! This way! Turn!
(Donkey escapes deeper into the forest and runs head first into Shrek's backside. Shrek turns around to see who bumped into him and glares down at Donkey. Donkey looks scared of Shrek for a moment, but he quickly hides behind him after seeing that the guards have caught up to him)
The Captain: You there. Ogre!
Shrek: Aye?
The Captain: By the order of Lord Farquaad, I am authorized to place you both under arrest and...(Shrek slowly approaches the group of guards, the guards visibly frightened by him) transport you to... a designated...resettlement...facility?
Shrek: Oh, really? You and what army? (smiles)
(The Captain looks behind himself and sees that all the other guards have abandoned him. The Captain tucks tail and runs off. Shrek shakes his head and starts walking back to his swamp. Donkey, impressed by Shrek, follows him)
Donkey: Can I say something to you? Listen, you was really, really, really somethin' back here. Incredible!
Shrek: Are you talking to...(he turns around and Donkey is gone) me? (he turns back around and Donkey is right in front of him) Whoa!
Donkey: Yes. I was talking to you. Can I tell you that you that you was great back there? Man those guards! They thought they was all of that. Then you showed up and bam! They was tripping over themselves like babes in the woods. That really made me feel good to see that.
Shrek: (annoyed) Oh, that's great. Really.
Donkey: Man, it's good to be free.
Shrek: Now, why don't you go celebrate your freedom with your own friends? Hmm?
Donkey: But, uh, I don't have any friends. And I'm not goin' out there by myself. Hey, wait a minute! I got a great idea! I'll stick with you. You're a mean, green, fighting machine. Together we'll scare the spit out of anybody that crosses us.
(Shrek turns and regards Donkey for a moment before loudly roaring in his face)
Donkey: Oh, wow! That was really scary. If you don't mind me saying, if that don't work, your breath certainly will get the job done, 'cause you definitely need some Tic Tacs or something, 'cause your breath stinks!
(Shrek walks off. Donkey reappears ahead of him, dangling from a felled log)
Donkey: Man, you almost burned the hair outta my nose, just like the time...(Shrek covers his mouth but Donkey continues to talk. Shrek removes his hand) ...then I ate some rotten berries. I had strong gases leaking out of my butt that day.
Shrek: Why are you following me?
Donkey: I'll tell you why. (drops from the log. Singing) "'Cause I'm all alone, There's no one here beside me, My problems have all gone, There's no one to deride me, But you gotta have friends..."
Shrek: Stop singing! (picks up Donkey by his ears and tail) Well, it's no wonder you don't have any friends (drops him)
Donkey: Wow. Only a true friend would be that truly honest.
Shrek: Listen, little donkey. Take a look at me. What am I?
Donkey: (looks all the way up at Shrek) Uh...really tall?
Shrek: No! I'm an ogre! You know, "Grab your torch and pitchforks." Doesn't that bother you?
Donkey: (shakes his head) Nope.
Shrek: (surprised) Really?
Donkey: Really, really.
Shrek: (taken aback) Oh.
Donkey: Man, I like you. What's your name?
Shrek: Uh, Shrek.
Donkey: Shrek? Well, you know what I like about you, Shrek? You got that kind of "I-don't-care-what-nobody-thinks-of-me" thing. I like that. I respect that, Shrek. You're all right. (they come over a hill overlooking Shrek's swamp) Woo, look at that! Who'd want to live in place like that?
Shrek: (annoyed) That would be my home.
Donkey: Oh! And it is lovely! Just beautiful. You know you are quite a decorator. It's amazing what you've done with such a modest budget. I like that boulder. That is a nice boulder. (looks at Shrek's "keep out" signs) I guess you don't entertain much, do you?
Shrek: I like my privacy.
Donkey: You know, I do too. That's another thing we have in common. Like I hate it when you got somebody in your face. You're trying to give them a hint and they won't leave. And there's that big awkward silence you know? (awkward silence) Can I stay with you?
Shrek: Uh, what?
Donkey: Can I stay with you, please?
Shrek: (sarcastically) Of course!
Donkey: Really?
Shrek: No.
Donkey: Please! I don't wanna go back there! You don't know what it's like to be considered a freak. (Donkey pushes Shrek up against the door) Well, maybe you do. But that's why we gotta stick together. You gotta let me stay! Please! Please!
Shrek: Okay! Okay. But one night only.
Donkey: Ah! Thank you! (he runs inside the hut)
Shrek: Ah! What are you...no! (Donkey hops up onto a chair.) No!
Donkey: This is gonna be fun! We can stay up late, swapping manly stories, and in the morning... I'm making waffles.
Shrek: (growls in frustration)
Donkey: Where do, uh, I sleep?
Shrek: (irritated) Outside!
Donkey: Oh, well, I guess that's cool. I mean, I don't know you, and you don't know me, so I guess outside is best, you know. Here I go. Good night. (Shrek slams the door, shutting Donkey outside) I mean, I do like the outdoors. I'm a donkey. I was born outside. I'll just be sitting by myself outside, I guess, you know. By myself, outside. I'm all alone...there's no one here beside me...
SHREK'S HOME - NIGHT
(Shrek is getting ready for dinner. He sits down, lights a candle made out of his own earwax, and begins eating. Donkey looks inside from a window, and then lays down by the front door. Shrek is about to take a bite when he hears a creaking noise. He stands up with a huff)
Shrek: (to Donkey) I thought I told you to stay outside!
Donkey: (from the window) I am outside!
(Shrek hears a noise from inside and turns to find the source. He sees several shadows moving and looks around. He sees the 3 Blind Mice on his table)
Mouse 1: Well, gents, it's a far cry from the farm, but what choice do we have?
Mouse 2: It's not home, but it'll do just fine.
Gorder: (bouncing on a slug) What a lovely bed.
Shrek: Got ya. (grabs Gorder, but he escapes and lands on his shoulder)
Gorder: I found some cheese. (bites into Shrek's ear)
Shrek: Ow! (tries to grab him)
Gorder: Blah! Awful stuff. (jumps down to the table)
Blind Mouse: Is that you, Gorder?
Gorder: How did you know?
Shrek: Enough! (he grabs all 3 mice) What are you doing in my house? (He gets bumped from behind and he drops the mice) Hey!
(Shrek turns around and sees that the 7 Dwarves have put Snow White, sleeping in her glass coffin, on the table)
Shrek: Oh, no, no, no. Dead broad off the table! (pushes the coffin away)
Dwarf: Where are we supposed to put her? The bed's taken.
Shrek: (confused) Huh?
(Shrek walks over to the bedroom and throws back the curtain. The Big Bad Wolf is laying in the bed)
Big Bad Wolf: What?
(Shrek now has the Big Bad Wolf by the collar and is dragging him to the front door)
Shrek: I live in a swamp. I put up signs. I'm a terrifying ogre! What do I have to do get a little privacy?
(He opens the front door and throws Big Bad Wolf out. He sees that a horde of fairytale creatures have set up camp in his swamp)
Shrek: Oh, no. Oh, no. No! No! (he dodges out the way of a group of witches flying on broomsticks)
(Papa Bear and Little Bear sit around the fire, the Pied Piper is playing his pipe and the rats are all running to him, some elves are directing flight traffic so that the fairies and witches can land)
Shrek: WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY SWAMP?!!
(Shrek's voice echoes throughout the camp and everyone falls silent. Gasps are heard all around. The 3 Good Fairies hide inside a tent)
Shrek: All right, get out of here. All of you, move it! Come on! Let's go! Hapaya! Hapaya! Hey!
Dwarves: Quickly. Come on!
(More dwarves run inside the house and shut the door behind them)
Shrek: No, no! No, no. Not there! Not there!
(Shrek fiddles with the door handle, unable to open the door. He gives Donkey an annoyed look)
Donkey: Hey, don't look at me. I didn't invite them.
Pinocchio: Well gosh, no one invited us.
Shrek: What?!
Pinocchio: We were forced to come here!
Shrek: By who?!
Little Pig: Lord Farquaad. He huffed and he puffed and he...signed an eviction notice.
Shrek: (sighs) Alright. Who knows where this... "Farquaad" guy is?
(The crowd gasps at the mention of Lord Farquaad. No one answers)
Donkey: Oh, I do. I know where he is!
Shrek: Does anyone else know where to find him?
(Little Bear raises his hand but Papa Bear quickly puts his hand down. Big Bad Wolf and a wizard point at each other)
Shrek: Anyone at all?
Donkey: Me! Me!
Shrek: Anyone?
Donkey: (jumping up and down) Oh! Oh, pick me! Oh, I know! I know! Me, me!
SHREK: (sighs) Okay, fine. Attention all...fairy tale things. Do not get comfortable! Your welcome is officially worn out! In fact, I'm gonna see this guy Farquaad right now and get you all off my land and back where you came from!
(After a brief silence, the crowd erupts into cheering and applause. This was not Shrek's intention. A group of birds drapes a cloak made of flowers around Shrek's shoulders, much to his annoyance)
Shrek: Oh! (to Donkey) You! You're coming with me.
(Shrek brushes the cloak onto the ground, while the birds come back to place a wreath of flowers on Donkey's head. They make their through the crowd)
Donkey: All right, that's what I like to hear, man. Shrek and Donkey, 2 stalwart friends, off on a whirlwind big-city adventure. I love it!
Donkey: (singing) "On the road again...", sing it with me, Shrek!
(as they walk away from the crowd Shrek grabs the torch from a dwarf cheering them on, who refuses to let go. Shrek shakes the torch until the dwarf falls into a pond)
Donkey: "I can't wait to get on the road again."
Shrek: What did I say about singing? (yanks the wreath off Donkey's head)
Donkey: Can I whistle?
Shrek: No.
Donkey: Well, can I hum it?
Shrek: (annoyed) All right, hum it.
(Donkey begins to hum 'On the Road Again'. The pair walk off into the night with Shrek's torch lighting the way)
DULOC - DUNGEON
(A masked man is pouring a glass of milk. Another man is shown walking down the hallway towards a set of doors. As he is let into the room by two guards, we can see that the man is abnormally short. The masked man is dunking what looks to be a small person into the glass of milk)
Lord Farquaad: (stepping forward) That's enough. He's ready to talk.
Gingy is pulled out of the milk by Thelonious and is slammed down onto a cookie sheet. Lord Farquaad laughs evilly as he walks over to the table. When he reaches the table we see that he is too short to see above it. He clears his throat and the table is lowered
Lord Farquaad: (he picks up the Gingy's severed legs and plays with them) Run, run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!
Gingy: You're a monster!
Lord Farquaad: I'm not the monster here, you are. (throws one leg at Gingy) You and the rest of that fairy tale trash, poisoning my perfect world (crumbles his other leg into dust) Now, tell me! Where are the others?!
Gingy: Eat me! (spits at Lord Farquaad)
Lord Farquaad: Ugh! I've tried to be fair to you creatures. Now my patience has reached its end! Tell me or I'll...(he grabs one of Gingy's gumdrop buttons)
Gingy: No, no, not the buttons. Not my gumdrop buttons!
Lord Farquaad: All right then. Who's hiding them?
Gingy: Okay, I'll tell you. Do you know the muffin man?
Lord Farquaad: The muffin man?
Gingy: The muffin man.
Lord Farquaad: Yes, I know the muffin man. Who lives on Drury Lane?
Gingy: Well, she's married to the muffin man.
Lord Farquaad: (Shocked) The muffin man?
Gingy: The muffin man!
Lord Farquaad: She's married to the muffin man.
(A door opens and the Captain of the Duloc Guards steps in)
The Captain: My lord! We've found it.
Lord Farquaad: Then what are you waiting for? Bring it in!
(More guards enter carrying an object covered by a sheet. They mount it on the wall and the Captain removes the sheet. It is the Magic Mirror. Everyone stands in awe)
Gingy: Ohhhh...
Lord Farquaad: Magic mirror...
Gingy: Don't tell him anything! (Lord Farquaad smacks him off the table and into a trash can) No!
Lord Farquaad: Evening. Mirror, mirror on the wall, is this not the most perfect kingdom of them all?
Magic Mirror: Well, technically you're not a king.
Lord Farquaad: Uh, Thelonius. (Thelonius holds up a hand mirror and smashes it with his fist) You were saying?
Magic Mirror: What I mean is you're not a king yet. But you can become one. All you have to do is marry a princess.
Lord Farquaad: Go on.
Magic Mirror: (chuckles nervously) So, just sit back and relax, my lord, because it's time for you to meet today's eligible bachelorettes. And...here they are!
(Bouncy gameshow music begins to play. Using himself as a screen, the Magic Mirror reveals three shadowy portraits of princesses. Lord Farquaad seems confused but watches on silently)
Magic Mirror: Bachelorette number 1 is a mentally abused shut-in from a kingdom far, far away. She likes sushi and hot tubbing anytime! Her hobbies include cooking and cleaning for her 2 evil sisters. Please welcome...Cinderella!
(An image of Cinderella doing housework flips to a portrait of Cinderella in her ball gown putting on the glass slipper. Lord Farquaad looks at her approvingly and the Captain claps)
Magic Mirror: Bachelorette number 2 is a cape-wearing girl from the land of fancy. Although she lives with 7 other men, she's not easy.
(An image of the 7 Dwarves flashes on the screen. The guards laugh at the Mirror's joke)
Magic Mirror: Just kiss her dead, frozen lips and find out what a live wire she is. Come on, give it up for Snow White!
(The mirror shows a portrait of Snow White in her slumber. Lord Farquaad seems even more pleased, and everyone else claps this time)
Magic Mirror: And last, but certainly not last, bachelorette number 3 is a fiery redhead from a dragon-guarded castle surrounded by hot boiling lava!
(The mirror shows an image of a giant dragon besides a tower and then of a giant castle surrounded by lava. A bright fire shines on the screen and Lord Farquaad covers his eyes. This doesn't seem to deter his interest)
Magic Mirror: But don't let that cool you off. She's a loaded pistol who likes piña coladas and getting caught in the rain. Yours for the rescuing, Princess Fiona!
(The mirror shows a portrait of Princess Fiona leaning on the window of her tower. Once again everyone else claps)
Magic Mirror: So, will it be: bachelorette number 1, bachelorette number 2, or bachelorette number 3?
(The mirrors flips through each princesses' portrait. The guards shout out different numbers while Lord Farquaad frantically tries to decide)
Guards: 2! 2! 3! 3! 2! 2! 3!
Lord Farquaad: (to himself) 2? 3? 1? 3?
Thelonius: 3! (holds up 2 fingers) Pick number 3, my lord!
Lord Farquaad: Okay, okay, uh... number 3!
Magic Mirror: Lord Farquaad, you've chosen Princess Fiona.
(Wild applause erupts from the guards. Lord Farquaad is captivated by the portrait of Fiona)
Lord Farquaad: Princess...Fiona...she's perfect. All I have to do is just find someone who can go...
Magic Mirror: But I probably should mention the little thing that happens at night.
(Lord Farquaad doesn't listen to the mirror at all, too busy formulating a plan)
Lord Farquaad: I'll do it.
Magic Mirror: Yes, but after sunset...
Lord Farquaad: Silence! I will make this Princess Fiona my queen, and Duloc will finally have the perfect king! Captain, assemble your finest men. We're going to have a tournament! (grins evilly)
DULOC KINGDOM - EXTERIOR
(Shrek and Donkey come out of the field just outside the Duloc parking lot)
Donkey: But that's it. That's it right there. That's Duloc. I told ya I'd find it.
(The 2 gaze up at Duloc Castle, a building that towers over the rest of the kingdom)
Shrek: So, that must be Lord Farquaad's castle.
Donkey: Uh-huh. That's the place.
Shrek: Do you think maybe he's compensating for something?
(Shrek laughs, but then groans as Donkey doesn't get the joke. He continues walking through the parking lot)
Donkey: Hey, wait. Wait up, Shrek.
Man: Hurry, darling. We're late. Hurry!
(A man and woman run through the castle's entrance. In front of the gate is a series of ropes hung in a maze for crowd control. A mascot wearing a giant head resembling Lord Farquaad stands at the end of the line. Shrek and Donkey exchange looks)
Shrek: Hey, you!
(The mascot screams at the sight of Shrek and begins running through the roped path to get to the front gate)
Shrek: Wait a second. Look, I'm not gonna eat you. I just-- I just --
(Shrek sighs in frustration and then begins pushing his way through the ropes. The mascot runs into a wall and knocks himself out. Shrek pushes through the entrance's turnstile, but Donkey gets caught in it and lands on the ground with a thud. Donkey sheepishly smiles and Shrek sighs in annoyance)
DULOC - INTERIOR
(Shrek and Donkey look around the square, which is deserted. The trees and grass are neatly cut and the rows of houses all looked exactly the same. Chirpy music quietly plays from a set of loudspeakers)
Shrek: It's quiet. Too quiet. Where is everybody?
Donkey: Hey, look at this!
(Donkey runs over and pulls a lever that is attached to a box marked 'Information'. The music winds up and then the box doors open up. There are little wooden people inside and they begin to sing)
Wooden People: Welcome to Duloc such a perfect town / Here we have some rules let us lay them down / Don't make waves, stay in line and we'll get along fine / Duloc is perfect place / Please keep off of the grass / Shine your shoes, wipe your... face / Duloc is, Duloc is / Duloc is perfect place.
(Suddenly a camera takes Shrek and Donkey's picture, both of which are dumbfounded)
Donkey: Wow! Let's do that again!
(Donkey makes ready to run over and pull the lever again but Shrek quickly grabs him by the tail)
Shrek: No! No! No, no, no! (whispers) No.
(They hear a trumpet fanfare from afar and head over to investigate. A voice sounds from the distance)
Lord Farquaad: Brave knights! You are the best and brightest in all the land, and today one of you shall prove himself better and brighter than all the rest.
(As Shrek and Donkey walk down the tunnel to get into the arena, Donkey hums the Duloc theme song)
Shrek: All right, you're going the right way for a smacked bottom.
Donkey: Sorry about that.
ARENA
(In the center of a stadium-like arena, Duloc Knights are gathered as a large crowd of citizens watches on from the stands. Horses, kegs of beer, arrow targets, and other equipment are scattered about. Farquaad is atop a high up balcony, flanked by two guards, addressing the crowd. Shrek and Donkey step out onto the arena but don't seem to be noticed)
Lord Farquaad: That champion shall have the honor-- no, no -- the privilege to go forth and rescue the lovely Princess Fiona from the fiery keep of the dragon. If for any reason the winner is unsuccessful, the first runner-up will take his place. And so on and so forth. Some of you may die, but it's a sacrifice I am willing to make.
(The crowd cheers and applauds. Shrek looks around, noticing a man holding up a cue card up to the crowd that reads "APPLAUSE")
Lord Farquaad: Let the tournament begin!
(Shrek marches through the Duloc Knights, who back away in disgust upon noticing him)
Lord Farquaad: Oh! What is that? It's hideous!
(The crowd gasps and goes quiet)
Shrek: Ah, that's not very nice (looks at Donkey and then back at Lord Farquaad) It's just a donkey.
(Donkey looks confused, the joke is once again lost on him)
Lord Farquaad: Indeed. Knights, new plan! The one who kills the ogre will be named champion! Have at him!
(Lord Farquaad points at Shrek. The Duloc Knights draw their weapons and slowly approach Shrek as he backs up, the crowd cheering them on)
Crowd: Get him!
Shrek: Oh, hey! Now come on! Hang on now. (He bumps into a table, noticing mugs of ale)
Crowd: Go ahead! Get him!
Shrek: (holds up a mug of ale) Can't we just settle this over a pint?
Crowd: Kill the beast!
Shrek: No? All right then. (drinks the ale in one gulp) Come on!
(Shrek takes the mug and smashes the spigot off the large barrel of ale behind him. The ale comes rushing out, knocking the knights down and wetting the ground into mud. Shrek slides past the knights and uses a spear like a hockey stick to knock one off his feet. Donkey hops up onto one of the larger beer barrels. It breaks free of its ropes and begins to roll. Donkey manages to squish 2 knights into the mud and rolls over another group of knights running after Shrek. Shrek hops over a set of ropes that appears to make up a wrestling ring. Shrek uses the ropes to launch himself at 2 knights, knocking them over with his arms. The crowd boos. Shrek jump kicks a knight, and then body slams another. A knight comes from behind Shrek with his spear ready to attack. The crowd gasps, but before he can make a move Shrek puts him in a full-nelson hold)
Donkey: Hey, Shrek, tag me! Tag me!
(Shrek brings the knight over to Donkey, who leans on the ropes and headbutts the knight. Shrek gets up on the ropes and interacts with the crowd, who have now begun to cheer for Shrek and Donkey. Shrek stands on top of the ropes and beckons on the crowd's cheers)
Shrek: Yeah!
(A knight tries to sneak up behind Shrek, but he turns in time to sees him and jumps on him)
Woman: The chair! Give him the chair!
(Shrek uses a folding chair to smack the knight lying on the ground. Shrek dispatches a few more knights with ease. Shrek picks up the last knight, spinning him over his head and then throwing him against the post of the wrestling ring. Donkey kicks his helmet, and the ding sounds the end of the match. Finally all the knights are down. The audience goes wild)
Shrek: Oh, yeah! Ah! Ah! Thank you! Thank you very much! I'm here till Thursday. Try the veal! Ha, ha! (laughs)
(Lord Farquaad motions to the guards, who aim their crossbows at Shrek and Donkey. The crowd gasps and goes silent. Shrek stops laughing)
Guard: Shall I give the order, sir?
Lord Farquaad: No, I have a better idea. People of Duloc! I give you our champion!
(The crowd cheers and a fanfare plays)
Shrek: What?
Lord Farquaad: Congratulations, ogre. You've won the honor of embarking on a great and noble quest.
Shrek: Quest? I'm already on a quest. A quest to get my swamp back.
Lord Farquaad: Your swamp?
Shrek: Yeah, my swamp! Where you dumped those fairy tale creatures!
Lord Farquaad: Indeed. All right, ogre. I'll make you a deal. Go on this quest for me, and I'll give you your swamp back.
Shrek: Exactly the way it was?
Lord Farquaad: Down to the last slime-covered toadstool.
Shrek: And the squatters?
Lord Farquaad: As good as gone.
(Shrek glances at the soldiers still aiming their crossbows and then turns back to Lord Farquaad)
Shrek: What kind of quest?
DULOC - EXTERIOR
(Shrek and Donkey are now walking through the fields heading away from Duloc. Shrek is munching on an onion)
Donkey: Let me get this straight. You're gonna go fight a dragon and rescue a princess just so Farquaad will give you back a swamp which you only don't have because he filled it full of freaks in the first place. Is that about right?
Shrek: You know, maybe there's a good reason donkeys shouldn't talk.
Donkey: I don't get it. Why don't you just pull some of that ogre stuff on him? Throttle him, lay siege to his fortress, grinds his bones to make your bread, the whole ogre trip.
Shrek: Oh, I know what. Maybe I could have decapitated an entire village and put their heads on a pike, gotten a knife, cut open their spleen and drink their fluids. Does that sound good to you?
Donkey: Uh, no, not really, no.
Shrek: For your information, there's a lot more to ogres than people think.
Donkey: Example?
Shrek: Example? Okay, um, ogres are like onions. (he holds out his onion)
Donkey: (sniffs the onion) They stink?
Shrek: Yes - - No!
Donkey: They make you cry?
Shrek: No!
Donkey: Oh, you leave them in the sun, they get all brown, start sproutin' little white hairs.
Shrek: No! Layers! Onions have layers. Ogres have layers! Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers. (he throws away the onion and walks off)
Donkey: (trailing after Shrek) Oh, you both have layers. Oh. {sniffs} You know, not everybody likes onions. Cake! Everybody loves cakes! Cakes have layers.
Shrek: I don't care... what everyone likes. Ogres are not like cakes. (walks passed Donkey)
Donkey: You know what else everybody likes? Parfaits. Have you ever met a person, you say, "Let's get some parfait," they say, "Hell no, I don't like no parfaits"? Parfaits are delicious.
Shrek: (Yelling) NO! You bad, irritating, miniature beast of burden! Ogres are like onions! End of story. Bye-bye. (whispers) See you later.
Donkey: Parfaits may be the most delicious thing on the whole damn planet.
Shrek: You know, I think I preferred your humming.
Donkey: Do you have a tissue or something? I'm making a mess. Just the word parfait makes me start slobbering.
(They head off. There is a montage of their journey. Walking through a field at sunset. Sleeping beneath a bright moon. Shrek burns his foot trying to stomp out the campfire, so Donkey urinates on the fire to put it out. They arrive at the outskirts of a giant volcano and begin to make their way up)
Donkey: (sniffs) Whew! Shrek! Did you do that? You gotta warn somebody before you just crack one off. My mouth was open and everything.
Shrek: Believe me, Donkey, if it was me, you'd be dead. (sniffs) It's brimstone. We must be getting close.
Donkey: Yeah, right, brimstone. Don't be talking about it's the brimstone. I know what I smell. It wasn't no brimstone. It didn't come off no stone neither.
(They reach the top of the climb and hoist themselves up and over the ridge)
DRAGON'S KEEP - EXTERIOR
(Shrek and Donkey gaze out into the crater. The Dragon's Keep towered before them, a dilapidated castle, burned and blackened. Perched on a rock pinnacle, it was surrounded by a terrifying lake of molten lava. A single light shines in the window of the tallest tower. Dark clouds block out the blue sky above them. Thunder strikes and crows circling the castle can be heard. It's all very ominous)
Shrek: Sure, it's big enough, but look at the location. (laughs)
(Shrek jumps over and approaches the bridge, with Donkey joining in behind him)
Donkey: (chuckes along nervously) Uh, Shrek? Uh, remember when you said that ogres have layers?
Shrek: Oh, aye.
Donkey: Well, I have a bit of a confession to make (gasps, seeing the skeleton of a horse). Donkeys don't have layers. We wear our fear right out there on our sleeves.
Shrek: Wait a second. Donkeys don't have sleeves.
Donkey: You know what I mean.
Shrek: Oh, you can't tell me you're afraid of heights.
Donkey: No, I'm just a little uncomfortable about being on a rickety bridge over a boiling lake of lava!
Shrek: Come on, Donkey. I'm right here beside ya, okay? For emotional support. We'll just tackle this thing together one little baby step at a time.
Donkey: Really?
Shrek: Really, really.
Donkey: Okay, that makes me feel so much better.
Shrek: Just keep moving. And don't look down.
Donkey: (nervously to himself) Okay, don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look down. Keep on moving. Don't look down.
(Donkey accidentally steps through a rotting board, which falls down into the fiery lava below)
Donkey: Shrek! I'm lookin' down! (screams) Oh, God, I can't do this! Just let me off, please!
Shrek: But you're already halfway.
Donkey: But I know that half is safe!
Shrek: Okay, fine. I don't have time for this. You go back.
(Shrek tries to press on while Donkey tries to make his way back under Shrek)
Donkey: Shrek, no! Wait!
Shrek: Just, Donkey - - Let's have a dance then, shall we? (bounces and sways the bridge)
Donkey: Don't do that!
Shrek: Oh, I'm sorry. Do what? Oh, this? (bounces the bridge again)
Donkey: Yes, that!
Shrek: Yes? Yes, do it. Okay. (continues to bounce and sway as he backs Donkey across the bridge)
Donkey: No, Shrek! No! Stop it!
Shrek: You said do it! I'm doing it.
Donkey: I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. Shrek, I'm gonna die. (steps onto solid ground) Oh!
Shrek: That'll do, Donkey. That'll do. (walks towards the castle)
Donkey: Cool. So where is this fire-breathing pain-in-the-neck anyway?
Shrek: Inside, waiting for us to rescue her. (chuckles)
Donkey: I was talkin' about the dragon, Shrek.
DRAGON'S KEEP - INTERIOR
(The pair start making their way through the hallways of the dragon's dark and spooky keep. Shrek is wary, while Donkey is downright terrified. Only an occasional torch lights the way. The passages are littered with bones, armor, and weapons, presumably belonging to the many unsuccessful knights who tried to rescue the princess)
Donkey: You afraid?
Shrek: No. But...SHHHHHH. (shushes Donkey)
Donkey: Oh, good. Me neither. (Get spooked and gasps) 'Cause there's nothing wrong with being afraid. Fear's a sensible response to an unfamiliar situation. Unfamiliar dangerous situation, I might add. With a dragon that breathes fire and eats knights and breathes fire. It sure doesn't mean you're a coward if you're a little scared. I sure as heck ain't no coward. I know that.
(Donkey crashes into a pile of knight remains, knocking over a skeleton whose helmet lands on Donkey's head. The skeleton head falls off and Donkey gasps)
Shrek: Donkey, 2 things, okay? Shut. Up. Now go over there and see if you can find any stairs (grabs the helmet and puts it on)
Donkey: Stairs? I thought we was looking for the princess.
Shrek: (picking up pieces of armor) The princess will be up the stairs in the highest room in the tallest tower.
Donkey: What makes you think she'll be there?
Shrek: I read it in a book once. (walks off)
Donkey: Cool. You handle the dragon. I'll handle the stairs. I'll find those stairs. I'll whip their butt too. Those stairs won't know which way they're going.
(Shrek, now disguised as a knight in shining armor walks off further into the castle. Donkey wanders off in the opposite direction, still talking to himself, and pushes his way through a giant set of doors)
Donkey: I'm gonna take drastic steps. Kick it to the curb. Don't mess with me. I'm the stair master. I've mastered the stairs. I wish I had a step right here. I'd step all over it.
(Behind a broken wall, a giant eye opens to see an unaware Donkey. Elsewhere, Shrek spots a light in the window of a tower)
Shrek: Well, at least we know where the princess is. But where's the...
Donkey: Dragon!
(Donkey screams and takes off running, narrowly dodging the dragon's fiery breath. The dragon chases after Donkey, stomping on the pile of knight remains in her way. Shrek turns around to see Donkey barreling towards him with the dragon close behind him)
Shrek: Donkey, look out!
(Shrek manages to grab Donkey out of the way just as the dragon breathes another fireball. Donkey drops to the floor to avoid another fireball, which manages to singe the tuft of his tail. The dragon is just about to eat Donkey when Shrek grabs ahold of her tail)
Shrek: Got ya!
(The dragon begins to swing her tail back and forth with Shrek still holding on, then launches him into the air. Shrek crashes through the roof of the tallest tower and into Fiona's room. Fiona wakes up and looks at him lying on the floor unconscious. The dragon now focuses her attention on Donkey, breathing fire at him and forcing him onto a stone bridge. The dragon knocks down portions of the bridge until Donkey is left staying on a lone pillar)
Donkey: No. Oh, no, No! (the dragon growls) Oh, what large teeth you have! (the dragon roars) I mean white, sparkling teeth!
(The dragon pauses, looks at him inquisitively, and then smiles. Donkey might just flatter his way out of becoming dragon food)
Donkey: I know you probably hear this all time from your food, but you must bleach, 'cause that is one dazzling smile you got there. Do I detect a hint of minty freshness?
(The dragon appears to be flattered by Donkey's compliments)
Donkey: And you know what else? You know what else? You're-- You're--
(The dragon leans forward and gazes at Donkey, revealing its long eyelashes and lipsticked mouth. Suddenly it was all clear to Donkey)
Donkey: --a girl dragon! Oh, sure! I mean, of course you're a girl dragon. You're just reeking of feminine beauty.
(The dragon flutters her eyes at him)
Donkey: What's the matter with you? You got something in your eye?
(Dragon blows a heart-shaped smoke ring at Donkey)
Donkey: Ohh. Oh. Oh. Man, I'd really love to stay, but you know, I'm, uh...(coughs) I'm an asthmatic, and I don't know if it'd work out if you're gonna blow smoke rings and stuff. Shrek!
(Dragon picks him up by the tail in her mouth and happily carries him off)
Donkey: No! Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!
FIONA'S TOWER - INTERIOR
(Shrek groans as he regains consciousness. His back is to a Princess Fiona, laying upright on the bed near the window. Though a bit startled, she is ecstatic to see her knight-in-shining armor. She straightens her dress, lays back down, and then quickly reaches over for bouquet of flowers off the side table. She lays back down and pretends to be asleep, clutching the bouquet to her breast. Shrek turns, takes note of the princess and walks across the room over to her. He bends down over to Fiona and she puckers her lips. Shrek takes her by the shoulders and forcefully shakes her)
Fiona: Wha...Wha...
Shrek: Wake up!
Fiona: What?!
Shrek: Are you Princess Fiona?
Fiona: I am... (smiling) awaiting a knight so bold as to rescue me.
Shrek: Ah, that's nice. Now let's go!
(Shrek turns to leave and Fiona quickly sits upright)
Fiona: But wait, Sir Knight! This be-ith our first meeting. Should it not be a wonderful, romantic moment?
(she tosses the bouquet and lays back down, swooning)
Shrek: Yeah, sorry, lady. There's no time.
(Shrek walks back, yanks Fiona's arm. and hauls her out of bed and towards the door)
Fiona: Hey, wait. What are you doing? You know, you should sweep me off my feet out yonder window and down a rope onto your valiant steed.
(Shrek yanks on the door handle only for it to snap off)
Shrek: You've had a lot of time to plan this, haven't you?
Fiona: Mm-hmm.
(Fiona screams as Shrek suddenly smashes the door down with his shoulder, still holding onto her arm. He rushes down the tower's staircase with Fiona in tow and grabs a torch)
Fiona: But we have to savor this moment! You could recite an epic poem for me.
DRAGON'S KEEP - INTERIOR
(Shrek and Fiona cross the bridge connecting the tallest tower to the rest of the castle)
Fiona: A ballad? A sonnet! A limerick? Or something!
(Fiona pulls her arm from Shrek's grip. They stop for a moment as Shrek figures out which direction to go)
Shrek: I don't think so.
Fiona: Well, can I at least know the name of my champion?
Shrek: Uh, Shrek.
Fiona: Sir Shrek.
(she smiles, clears her throat, and holds out a handkerchief)
Fiona: I pray that you take this favour as a token of my gratitude.
Shrek: Thanks!
(Shrek regards the handkerchief curiously and wipes his sooty face with it, blackening it. He hands it back to an appalled Fiona, but before she can react, they are startled by the dragon's roar and she drops it to the floor)
Fiona: You didn't slay the dragon?!
Shrek: It's on my to-do list, now come on!
(Shrek grabs Fiona once again and takes off running towards the direction of the dragon's roar)
Fiona: But this isn't right! You were meant to charge in, sword drawn, banner flying. That's what all the other knights did!
Shrek: Yeah, right before they burst into flames!
(He gestures at the skeleton of a knight laying against the wall, a charred outline of a man burned into the stone behind it)
Fiona: That's not the point! Ugh!
(Fiona pulls her arm free from Shrek and stops running. Shrek pauses to look around and heads for a set of wooden doors)
Fiona: Wait, where are you going? The exit's over there!
(she points her arm to her left and Shrek turns around)
Shrek: Well, I have to save my ass.
Fiona: What kind of knight are you?
Shrek: One of a kind.
THRONE ROOM
(Shrek quietly pushes open the doors, stepping out onto a balcony of large spacious room. In the center of the room, Dragon has Donkey wrapped up on her tail. Dragon sits on a floor littered with a horde of gold coins and jewels)
Donkey: Slow down. Slow down, baby, please. Look I believe it's healthy to get to know someone over a long period of time. Just, just call me old-fashioned. I don't want to rush into a... a physical relationship. I'm not...not emotionally ready for a commitment of, uh, this, uh - - "magnitude" really is the word I'm looking for. Magnitude.
(Dragon gently caresses Donkey with a single claw)
Donkey: Hey, that is unwanted physical contact. Hey, what are you doing?
(Dragon looks up at the chandelier hanging above them and gently lights its candles with her fire breath)
Donkey: Okay, okay. Let's just back up a little and take this one step at a time. I mean we really should get to know each other first, you know, as friends or maybe even pen pals. Y'know cause I'm on the road a lot, but I just love receiving cards to read --
(Shrek jumps off the balcony, grabbing a chain connected to the chandelier. The chain does not hang low enough for him to be able to grab Donkey and he swings over Dragon. The chain swings back and he is left dangling above her)
Donkey: Oh y'know I'd, I'd really love to stay, but -- (Dragon tugs at Donkey's tail with her mouth)
Donkey: Hey. hey don't do that! That's my tail! That's my personal tail. You're gonna tear it off. I don't give permission to-- hey! What are you gonna do with that?
(Dragon purses her lips and gets ready to kiss Donkey. Shrek looks up and spots that the chain is jammed above him. He starts shaking it to try and relapse it from the pulley. Suddenly the pulley comes loose and Shrek starts falling)
Donkey: Hey, now. No way. No! No! No, no! No. No, no, no. No! Oh!
(Shrek lands on Donkey and bumps him out of Dragon's grasp just as she is about to kiss him, and she instead kisses Shrek's butt. She opens her eyes and roars. Shrek lets go of the chain and the chandelier falls onto her head, which acts as a collar around her neck. She roars again and Shrek and Donkey take off running. They dodge a blast of fire from Dragon. Shrek grabs Donkey in one arm and then grabs Princess Fiona, who has wandered into the room, with the other arm as he runs past her)
Donkey: Hi, Princess!
Fiona: It talks!
Shrek: Yeah, it's getting him to shut up that's the trick.
(They all gasp as Shrek suddenly stops, having reached the end of the balcony Shrek spots a fallen column that has formed a sort of slide. He jumps on it just as Dragon tries to bite them and slides down it. Unfortunately there is a crack in the stone and it hits Shrek right in the crotch. His eyes cross and as he reaches the bottom of the slide, he groans and stumbles off. Dragon chases after them, the chain of the chandelier still unraveling. They are chased by Dragon through a large hall, her chain looping itself around multiple stone pillars as Shrek zigzags around them. Dragon ends up in front of them and breathes fire. Shrek dodges the fire and runs away, leaping over several rows of chains. He comes to a halt)
Shrek: Okay, you 2, head for the exit! (setting down Donkey and Fiona) I'll take care of the dragon.
(Shrek grabs a sword lodged in the floor and sticks it through a link in the chain and deep into the floor. Shrek catches up with Donkey and Fiona, who are waiting near the exit)
Shrek: Run!
(They sprint as fast as they can out of the castle and onto the rickety bridge as Dragon breathes a huge fireball behind them. As they reach the middle of the bridge the fire burns the bridge and it snaps in half. They hang onto the bridge as they are swung to the other side. Donkey, unable to grab on, falls off but Shrek catches him by the leg. Fiona screams in horror as Dragon flies over the boiling lava to get them. Suddenly the chandelier pulls Dragon back, the sword having lodged itself into a stone column and getting the chain stuck. The group quickly climbs up to safety. Dragon lets out a defeated roar, then gives a sad whimper)
VOLCANO - EXTERIOR
(The first to climb out, Fiona gracefully slides down to the bottom of the volcano hill)
Fiona: You did it! You rescued me! You're amazing.
Behind her Donkey tumbles his way down the hill.
Fiona: You're -- you're wonderful. You're...
(she turns to see Shrek slide down the hill and crash into Donkey)
Fiona: A little unorthodox I'll admit. But...thy deed is great, and thine heart is pure. I am eternally in your debt.
Donkey: Ahem...
Fiona: And where would a brave knight be without his noble steed?
(she reaches down, squeezing Donkey's face)
Donkey: I hope you heard that. She called me a noble steed. She thinks I'm a steed.
(Donkey blushes, causing Fiona to chuckle and Shrek to roll his eyes)
Fiona: The battle is won. You may remove your helmet, good Sir Knight.
(Donkey gasps and makes eye contact with Shrek)
Shrek: Uh, no.
Fiona: Why not?
Shrek: I...I have helmet hair.
Fiona: Please. I would'st look upon the face of my rescuer.
Shrek: Oh, no, you wouldn't -- st.
Fiona: But, how will you kiss me?
Shrek: What?
(Shrek backs away and bumps into a wall)
Shrek: (to Donkey) That wasn't in the job description.
Donkey: Maybe it's a perk! (suggestively raises his eyebrows)
Fiona: No, it's destiny. Oh, you must know how it goes: A princess locked in a tower and beset by a dragon is rescued by a brave knight, and then they share true love's first kiss.
(They both give Fiona a wide-eyed look)
Donkey: Hmm? With Shrek? You think --who, whoa, wait a sec. You think that Shrek is your true love?
Fiona: Well... yes.
(Fiona sheepishly smiles at Shrek. Shrek and Donkey turn to each other and burst out laughing)
Donkey: You think Shrek is your true love!
Fiona: (annoyed) What is so funny?
Shrek: Let's just say I'm not your type, okay?
Fiona: Of course, you are. You're my rescuer. Now--now remove your helmet.
Shrek: Look. I really don't think this is a good idea.
Fiona: Just take off the helmet.
Shrek: I'm not going to.
Fiona: Take it off.
Shrek: No!
Fiona: NOW!
Shrek: Okay! Easy! As you command, Your Highness.
(Shrek shakes his head and takes off his helmet and reveals his ogre self. Fiona looks at him blankly, confused but not frightened. Shrek awkwardly grins)
Fiona: You're...an ogre.
Shrek: Oh, you were expecting Prince Charming?
Fiona: Well --yes, actually! Oh, no. This is all wrong. You're not supposed to be an ogre! (walks off)
Shrek : (sighs) Princess, I was sent to rescue you by Lord Farquaad, okay? He's the one who wants to marry you.
(the mention of this Lord Farquaad prompts Fiona to turn around in surprise)
Fiona: Well then why didn't he come rescue me?
Shrek: Good question. You should ask him that when we get there.
(Shrek turns and mocks Fiona while removing what little armor is still left attached to him)
Fiona: But I have to be rescued by my true love! Not by some ogre and hi...hi...his pet.
Donkey: Well, so much for a noble steed.
Shrek: Look, princess, you're not making my job any easier.
Fiona: Well, I'm sorry, but your job is not my problem. You can tell Lord "Farquaad" that if he wants to rescue me properly, I'll be waiting for him right here.
(Fiona sits down determinedly on a nearby rock)
Shrek: Hey! I'm no one's messenger boy, all right? (Advancing toward her) I'm a delivery boy.
Fiona: You wouldn't dare.
(Shrek picks Fiona up and puts her over his shoulder)
Fiona: (screams) Put me down!
Shrek: You coming, Donkey?
Donkey: Oh, yep! I'm right behind ya.
(Fiona is now kicking and screaming)
Fiona: Put me down or you will suffer the consequences! This is not dignified! Put me down!
(Fiona smacks Shrek on the back of the head and screams in frustration)
WOODS
(Hours have passed and Fiona has calmed down. She hangs limply while Shrek carries her and Donkey walks behind them)
Donkey: Okay, so here's another question. Say there's a woman that digs you, right, but you don't really like her that way. How do you let her down real easy so her feelings aren't hurt, but you don't get burned to a crisp and eaten? How do you do that?
Fiona: You just tell her she's not your true love. Everyone knows what happens when you find your...
(Shrek cuts her off with a deliberate, bouncing readjustment)
Fiona: Hey! The sooner we get to Duloc the better.
Donkey: Oh you're gonna love it there, Princess. It's beautiful!
Fiona: And what of my groom-to-be? Lord Farquaad? What's he like?
Shrek: Well, let me put it this way, princess.
(Shrek dumps Fiona to the ground unceremoniously and heads to a nearby pond to wash up)
Shrek: Men of Farquaad's stature are in..."short" supply.
(he chuckles and Donkey joins in)
Donkey: I don't know, Shrek. There are those who think..."little" of him.
(They laugh even harder)
Fiona: Stop it. Stop it, both of you. You're just jealous that you can never measure up to a great ruler like Lord Farquaad.
Shrek: Yeah, well, maybe you're right, princess. But I'll let you do the..."measuring"...when you see him tomorrow.
Fiona: Tomorrow?
(Panic-stricken, Fiona looks back fearfully at the setting sun)
Fiona: It'll take that long? Shouldn't we stop to make camp?
Shrek: No, that'll take longer. We can keep going.
Fiona: But there's....robbers in the woods.
Donkey: Whoa! Time out, Shrek! Camp is definitely starting to sound good.
Shrek: Hey, come on. I'm scarier than anything we're going to see in this forest.
(Fiona jumps in front of Shrek, blocking him)
Fiona: I NEED TO FIND SOMEWHERE TO CAMP NOW!!
(Both Shrek and Donkey's ears lower, taken aback by her outburst)
CLIFFSIDE
(A few minutes later, Shrek is rolling a large boulder away from the mouth of a cave)
Shrek: Hey! Over here!
Donkey: Shrek, we can do better than that. I don't think this is fit for a princess.
(Fiona turns her attention away from the setting sun)
Fiona: No, no, it's perfect. It just needs a few homey touches.
Shrek: Homey touches? Like what?
(He hears a huge ripping sound and looks over at Fiona, who has torn the bark off of a tree with her bare hands)
Fiona: A door. Well, gentlemen, I bid thee good night.
(She enters the cave and puts the bark door up behind her)
Donkey: You want me to come in there and read you a bedtime story? 'Cause I will.
Fiona: I said good night!
(Shrek looks at Donkey for a second and then reaches to move the boulder back in front of the entrance)
Donkey: Shrek, what are you doing?!
Shrek: (laughs) I just--you know - - Oh, come on. I was just kidding.
CLIFFSIDE - NIGHT
(Later that night Shrek and Donkey are sitting around a campfire. They gaze up into the sky as Shrek points out certain star constellations to Donkey)
Shrek: And, uh, that one, that's Throwback, the only ogre to ever spit over three wheat fields.
Donkey: Right. Yeah. Hey, can you tell my future from these stars?
Shrek: The stars don't tell the future, Donkey. They tell stories. Look, there's Bloodnut the Flatulent. You can guess what he's famous for. (chuckles)
Donkey: Alright now I know you're making this up.
Shrek: No, look.
(Shrek traces the constellation with his finger)
Shrek: There he is, and there's the group of hunters running away from his stench.
Donkey: Man, that ain't nothing but a bunch of little dots.
Shrek: You know, Donkey, sometimes things are more than they appear. Hmm?
(Shrek glances over to see if Donkey understands him, but is met with a blank look)
Shrek: Forget it.
Donkey: Hey, Shrek, what we gonna do when we get our swamp anyway?
Shrek: Our swamp?
Donkey: You know, when we're through rescuing the princess and all that stuff.
Shrek: We? Donkey, there's no we. There's no our. There's just me and my swamp. And the first thing I'm gonna do is build a ten-foot wall around my land.
(He turns his back on Donkey)
Donkey: You cut me deep, Shrek. You cut me real deep just now.
(Donkey walks over to face Shrek)
Donkey: You know what I think? I think this whole wall thing is just a way to keep somebody out.
Shrek: No, do ya think?
(Shrek turns away again)
Donkey: Are you hidin' something?
Shrek: Never mind, Donkey.
(He lies on his back. Donkey leans over him)
Donkey: Oh, this is another one of those onion things, isn't it?
Shrek: No, this is one of those "drop it and leave it alone" things!
Donkey: Why don't you want to talk about it?
Shrek: Why do you want to talk about it? (turns)
Donkey: Why are you blocking?
Shrek: I'm not blocking! (turns)
Donkey: Oh, yes, you are.
Shrek: Donkey, I'm warning you...
Donkey: Who you trying to keep out?
(Shrek gets on his feet and faces Donkey)
Shrek: Everyone! Okay?!
Donkey: Oh, now we're getting somewhere.
(Unseen by either of them, Fiona was peeking around the cave door, eavesdropping on the conversation)
Shrek: Oh! For the love of Pete!
(Shrek walks over to the edge of the cliff and sits down)
Donkey: Hey what's your problem Shrek? What you got against the whole world anyway, huh?
Shrek: Look, I'm not the one with the problem, okay? It's the world that seems to have a problem with me. People take one look at me and go "Aah! Help! Run! A big, stupid, ugly ogre!" They judge me before they even know me. That's why I'm better off alone.
(Hidden in the shadows of the cave, Fiona's eyes were sympathetic. She closes the door. Donkey stares silently at Shrek for a moment and then sits down beside him)
Donkey: You know what? When we met, I didn't think you was just a big, stupid, ugly ogre.
Shrek: Yeah, I know.
Donkey: So, uh, are there any donkeys up there?
Shrek: Well, there's, um, Gabby...the Small...and Annoying.
Donkey: Okay, okay, I see it now. The big shiny one, right there. That one there?
Shrek: That's the moon.
Donkey: Oh, okay.
DULOC - LORD FARQUAAD'S BEDROOM
(Lord Farquaad's room is is filled with items prepared for his wedding, including crowns and wedding outfits for him and Fiona. Mama Bear is now a taxidermized rug. Soft music plays in the background. Lord Farquaad lays in bed with the Magic Mirror set up at the foot of the bed)
Lord Farquaad: Again, show me again.
We hear the sound of tape rewinding.
Lord Farquaad: Mirror, mirror, show her to me. Show me the princess.
Magic Mirror: (uncomfortably) Hmm.
(The Mirror reluctantly rewinds and begins to play again from the beginning, displaying the image of Fiona waiting in her tower)
Lord Farquaad: Ah...perfect.
Lord Farquaad looks down and pulls the sheet up to cover himself as the covers rise.
CLIFFSIDE - MORNING
(Fiona walks out of the cave and glances at Shrek and Donkey who are still sleeping. She wanders off into the woods, marveling at the nature, and begins to sing. A bluebird flies over to join in her song. She hits higher and higher notes and the bird struggles to keep up with her. Fiona hits a high, horrible note that causes the bird to explode. Fiona looks guilty, but she eyes the eggs that the bird left behind. A little later, Fiona is now frying the eggs over the campfire using a rock skillet. Shrek wakes up, smells the food, and takes note of Fiona. Donkey is talking to himself in his sleep)
Donkey: Mmm, yeah, you know I like it like that. Come on, baby. I said I like it...
Shrek: Donkey, wake up. (shakes him)
Donkey: Huh? What?
Shrek: Wake up.
Donkey: What? (stretches and yawns)
Fiona: Good morning. Uhmm... how do you like your eggs?
Donkey: Oh, good morning, Princess!
Shrek: What's all this about?
Fiona: You know, we kind of got off to a bad start yesterday and I wanted to make it up to you. I mean, after all, you did rescue me.
(Fiona gets up and sets the eggs down in front of them)
Shrek: Uh, thanks.
(Donkey sniffs the eggs and licks his lips)
Fiona: Well, eat up. We've got a big day ahead of us.
(Fiona walks off, seemingly in a better mood than yesterday. Shrek and Donkey look at each other)
SHERWOOD FOREST
(The 3 continue their journey back to Duloc though the woods. Shrek lets out a loud belch)
Donkey: Shrek!
Shrek: What? It's a compliment. Better out than in, I always say. (laughs)
Donkey: Well, it's no way to behave in front of a princess!
(Fiona belches, stopping Shrek and Donkey in their tracks)
Fiona: Thanks.
Donkey: She's as nasty as you are.
Shrek: (chuckles) You know, you're not exactly what I expected.
Fiona: Well, maybe you shouldn't judge people before you get to know them.
(She smiles and then continues walking, singing softly. Suddenly from out of nowhere, a man swings down and swoops Fiona away)
Monsieur Hood: La liberte! Hey!
SHREK: Princess!
(Fiona and the unknown man land on a limb high above in the trees. It is none other than Monsieur Hood, also known as Robin Hood. Fiona breaks away from Monsieur Hood, who has his hand around her waist)
Fiona: Oh! Wait wait--what are you doing?!
Monsieur Hood: Be still, mon cherie, for I am you savior! And I am rescuing you from this green...
(Monsieur Hood brings Fiona's hand to his chest, and then carpets Fiona's arms with kisses as she pulls back in disgust)
Monsieur Hood: ...beast.
(His smile is only met with annoyance, which confuses him)
Shrek: Hey! That's my princess! Go find you own!
Monsieur Hood: Please, monster! Can't you see I'm a little busy here?
(Fiona gives Monsieur Hood a one-handed push and jams her finger into his chest)
Fiona: Look, pal, I don't know who you think you are!
Monsieur Hood: Oh! Of course! Oh, how rude. Please let me introduce myself.
He cups his hand and calls into the woods
Monsieur Hood: Oh, Merry Men! (laughs)
(Suddenly an accordion begins to play and the Merrymen pop out from the bushes. They begin to sing along with Monsieur Hood)
Merrymen: Ta, dah, dah, dah, whoo.
Monsieur Hood: I steal from the rich and give to the needy.
Merryman: He takes a wee percentage,
Monsieur Hood: But I'm not greedy. I rescue pretty damsels, man, I'm good.
Merrymen: What a guy, Monsieur Hood.
Monsieur Hood: Break it down. I like an honest fight and a saucy little maid...
Merrymen: What he's basically saying is he likes to get...
Monsieur Hood: Paid! So...When an ogre in the bush grabs a lady by the tush. That's bad.
Merrymen: That's bad. That's bad. That's bad!
Monsieur Hood: When a beauty's with a beast it makes me awfully mad!
Merrymen: He's mad, he's really, really mad!
(Fiona, still up in the tree, looks down. Her expression changes from confusion to horror as Monsieur Hood sings the last line)
Monsieur Hood: I'll take my blade and ram it through your heart, keep your eyes on me, boys 'cause I'm about to start...
(Fiona swings down from the tree limb and kicks Monsieur Hood in the head, knocking him unconscious. She lands with a back flip in front of Shrek and Donkey)
Fiona: Man, that was annoying!
(Shrek looks at her in admiration)
Merryman: Oh, you little--
(The Merry Man shoots an arrow at Fiona but she ducks out of the way. The arrow flies past her and towards Donkey, who jumps into Shrek's arms to get out of the way. Fiona demonstrates her martial arts skills and easily defeats up every last Merryman. The Merrymen are left on lying on the ground and Fiona walks away. Fiona looks a little embarrassed as she smoothes out her dress and regains her composure)
Fiona: Uh, shall we?
Shrek: Hold the phone.
(Taken aback, Shrek drops Donkey and begins walking after Fiona)
Shrek: Oh! Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on now. Where did that come from?
Fiona: What?
Shrek: That! Back there. That was amazing! Where did you learn that?
(Fiona blushes)
FIONA: Well...(laughs) when one lives alone, uh, one has to learn these things in case there's a...there's an arrow in your butt!
(Fiona points downwards at a small arrow jutting out of Shrek's butt)
Shrek: What? Oh, would you look at that?
Fiona: Oh, no. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry.
(Shrek lightly tugs at the arrow but stops, wincing in pain. Donkey catches up to them)
Donkey: Why? What's wrong?
Fiona: Shrek's hurt.
Donkey: Shrek's hurt! Shrek's hurt?!
(Donkey frantically begins to scamper around)
Donkey: Oh, no, Shrek's gonna die!
Shrek: Donkey, I'm okay.
Donkey: You can't do this to me, Shrek. I'm too young for you to die! Keep your legs elevated! Turn your head and cough! Does anyone know the Heimlich?!
(Fiona grabs Donkey's head and pulls it down to her)
Fiona: Donkey! Calm down! If you want to help Shrek, run into the woods and find me a blue flower with red thorns.
Donkey: Blue flower, red thorns. Okay, I'm on it. Blue flower, red thorns. Don't die Shrek.
(Donkey begins to head in a random direction into the forest.)
Donkey: And if you see a long tunnel, stay away from the light!
Shrek and Fiona: Donkey!
Donkey: Oh, yeah. Right. Blue flower, red thorns. Blue flower, red thorns...
(Donkey marches off, still chanting, until he is out of earshot)
Shrek: What are the flowers for?
Fiona: For getting rid of Donkey.
Shrek: Ah...
(Shrek's confused look turns into a big grin)
Fiona: Now you hold still, and I'll yank this thing out.
Fiona grabs hold of the arrow and begins to pull. Shrek winces and jumps away.
Shrek: Ow! Hey! Easy with the yanking!
Fiona: Well, I'm sorry, but it has to come out.
Shrek: No, it's tender.
(As they continue to talk Fiona keeps grabbing after the arrow as Shrek dodges her attempts)
Fiona: Now, hold still.
Shrek: What you're doing is the opposite of help.
Fiona: Don't move.
Shrek: Look, time out.
(Shrek puts his entire hand over Fiona's face, stopping her in her tracks)
Fiona: Would you...
(She takes Shrek's hand off her face)
Fiona: Okay. What do you propose we do?
SHERWOOD FOREST - ELSEWHERE
(Deeper in the woods, Donkey is hurriedly searching for the flower)
Donkey: Blue flower, red thorns. Blue flower, red thorns. Blue flower, red thorns. This would be so much easier if I wasn't color-blind! Blue flower, red thorns.
(Suddenly he hears a far out yell from Shrek)
Shrek: Owww!
Donkey: Hold on, Shrek! I'm coming!
(Donkey rips a flower off a nearby bush, which happens to be a blue flower with red thorns, and takes off running)
SHERWOOD FOREST - CLEARING
(Back in the clearing, Shrek is laying on the ground facedown, while Fiona stands over him, using both hands to try to remove the arrow)
Shrek: Ow! Not good.
Fiona: Okay. N--Okay. I can nearly see it...It's just about...
Shrek: Ow! Ohh!
(He rolls over, knocking Fiona off her feet and causing her to land on top of him. For a moment they stare into each other's eyes)
Donkey: Ahem.
(They are both startled by Donkey's interruption. Donkey, with the flower dropped at his feet, gives them a suggestive look)
Shrek: Nothing happened.
(Shrek pushes Fiona off him and rolls over to face Donkey)
Shrek: We were just, uh...
Donkey: Look, if you wanted to be alone, all you had to do was ask, okay?
Shrek: Oh, come on! That's the last thing on my mind. The princess here was just--
(Fiona quickly pulls the arrow out of Shrek's butt with one great pull)
SHREK: Uggghhh!
(He turns to look at Fiona, who playfully shakes the arrow back and forth with a coy smile)
Shrek: Ow!
Donkey: Hey, what's that? (chuckling) That's...is that blood?
(Donkey faints and falls into a pile of leaves. Shrek picks him up and throws him over his shoulder, and the three continue on their journey. There is a montage of scenes as the group heads back to Duloc)
(The group comes to a river with no path across, though it is clearly shallow enough to walk over. Shrek climbs to the top of a tree, using his weight to cause the tree to bend over the river and form a bridge. Fiona crosses first and lays a hand on Shrek's back when she gets to the other side. Shrek grins and gets up while Donkey is still crossing, launching him back to the other side. In a field, Shrek swats away at a swarm of flies following him. Fiona grabs a nearby spiderweb from a tree branch and runs through the field, swinging it around to catch the bugs. She spins the branch to form a sort of cotton candy, and hands it to Shrek as a treat. As he walks off biting it, she licks her fingers. Shrek catches a frog and blows it up like a balloon to give to Fiona. Fiona catches a snake, blows into its mouth, fashions it into a balloon animal and presents it to Shrek. Fiona starts a playful shoving match with Shrek, with Shrek ultimately flinging her into the bushes. She throws a twig at him as they both laugh, letting go of their balloons. Donkey jumps after them)
WINDMILL - EXTERIOR
(After breaking out of the forest, the group arrives onto a small rise where an old, ruined windmill stands. The fields of Duloc stretch out before before, and further in the distance stands the Duloc Castle)
Shrek: There it is, princess. Your future awaits you.
Fiona: That's Duloc?
(Fiona stands with her arm on Shrek's, but Donkey butts in-between them. They both shrug at each other)
Donkey: Yeah, I know. You know, Shrek thinks Lord Farquaad's compensating for something, which I think means he has a really...
(Shrek interrupts Donkey by stepping on his foot, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Fiona gives Shrek a suspicious look)
Donkey: Oww!
Shrek: Um, I, uh-- I guess we better move on.
Fiona: Sure. But, Shrek? I'm-- I'm worried about Donkey.
Shrek: What?
Fiona: I mean, look at him. He, he doesn't look so good.
(Nothing seems to be wrong with Donkey. Shrek smiles knowingly at Fiona)
Donkey: What are you talking about? I'm fine.
(Fiona kneels down and takes Donkey's head in her arms)
Fiona: Well that's what they always say and then...then...then the next thing you know, you're on your back. Dead.
Shrek: You know, she's right. You look awful. Do you want to sit down?
Fiona: Uh, you know, I'll make you some tea.
Donkey: I didn't want to say nothing, but I got this twinge in my neck, and when I turn my head like this, look.
(Donkey sharply leans his head to the side, letting out a loud crack)
Donkey: Ow! See?
(Shrek and Fiona give each happy looks, having made up an excuse to stall for time)
Shrek: Who's hungry? I'll find us some dinner.
Fiona: I'll get the firewood.
(Shrek and Fiona both walk off in separate directions)
Donkey: Hey, where you going? Oh, man, I can't feel my toes! (looks down) I don't have any toes! I think I need a hug.
WINDMILL - EXTERIOR - EVENING
Shrek has built a fire and is cooking something on a spit while Fiona eats.
Fiona: Mmm. This is good. This is really good. What is this?
Shrek: Uh, weed rat. Rotisserie style.
Fiona: No kidding. Well, this is delicious.
Shrek: Well, they're also great in stews. Now, I don't mean to brag, but I make a mean weed rat stew.
(Fiona smiles, but it quickly fades as she looks off at Duloc in the distance)
Fiona: I guess I'll be dining a little differently tomorrow night.
Shrek: Maybe you can come visit me in the swamp sometime. I'll cook all kind of stuff for you. Swamp toad soup, fish eye tartare -- you name it.
(Fiona is now intently looking at Shrek, smiling)
Fiona: Hmmm, I'd like that.
(They gaze into each other's eyes longingly)
Shrek: Um...princess?
FIONA: Yes...Shrek?
Shrek: I, um, I was wondering...are you...(sighs) Are you gonna eat that?
(Shrek points to her last piece of food. Fiona, expecting a different question, removes the weedrat while Shrek is annoyed by the words that couldn't come out. Fiona hands it to Shrek and he grabs onto her hand. The two slowly lean towards each other. Donkey interrupts the moment)
Donkey: Man, isn't this romantic? Just look at that sunset.
(Shrek and Fiona are both startled out of their moment. Fiona's mood changes and she sits up to abruptly face the sunset)
Fiona: Sunset?! Oh, no! I mean, it's late. I-It's very late.
(She begins backing up toward the windmill)
Shrek: What?
Donkey: Wait a minute. I see what's going on here.
(Fiona looks at Donkey and freezes with panic)
Donkey: You're afraid of the dark, aren't you?
Fiona: Yes! Yes, that's it. I'm terrified. You know, I'd better go inside.
(She smiles as she turns around to walk up the windmill's steps. She breathes a sigh of relief)
Donkey: Don't feel bad, Princess. I used to be afraid of the dark, too, until -- Hey, no, wait. I'm still afraid of the dark.
(Shrek groans and Fiona chuckles)
Fiona: Good night.
Shrek: Good night.
(Fiona goes inside the windmill, gives Shrek a look, and closes the door. Donkey looks at Shrek with a new eye)
Donkey: Ohh! Now I really see what's going on here.
Shrek: Oh, what are you talkin' about?'
(Donkey trots over to Shrek as he kneels by the fire and fiddles with one of the spits)
Donkey: I don't even wanna hear it. Look, I'm an animal, and I got instincts. And I know you two were diggin' on each other. I could feel it.
Shrek: You're crazy. I'm just bringing her back to Farquaad.
Donkey: Oh, come on, Shrek. Wake up and smell the pheromones. Just go on in and tell her how you feel.
Shrek: I--there's nothing to tell. Besides, even if I did tell her that, well, you know-- and I'm not sayin' I do, 'cause I don't -- she's a princess, and I'm...
Donkey: An ogre?
Shrek: Yeah. An ogre.
(Shrek tosses the spit aside and trudges away)
Donkey: Hey, where you going?
Shrek: To get...more firewood.
(Donkey looks suspiciously over at the large pile of firewood already piled up. Shrek sits on the hill and gazes out at Duloc until nightfall)
WINDMILL - EXTERIOR - NIGHT
(Donkey opens the door to the windmill and steps in. The abandoned windmill is filed with shadows and cobwebs. All is quiet and Fiona is nowhere to be seen)
Donkey: Princess? Princess Fiona? Princess, where are you?
A group of birds flocks out the top of the roof, startling Donkey. He continues on.
Donkey: Princess?
(A hand grips the rungs of a ladder)
Donkey: It's very spooky in here. I ain't playing no games.
(Fiona looks at Donkey, cloaked in shadows, from up above on a platform. She tries to sneak away, but a wood plank breaks and she falls down with a crash. She screams and lands on a sack of flour, launching a cloud of flour into the air. Donkey is frozen with fear, unable to tell who the figure is)
Donkey: Aah!
Fiona: No, no!
Donkey: No, help!
Fiona: Shh!
(An ogress emerges from the cloud of flour, approaching Donkey)
Donkey: Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!
Fiona: No, it's okay! It's okay!
Donkey: What did you do with the princess?!
Fiona: Donkey, shh! I'm the princess.
Donkey: Aah!
Fiona: It's me, in this body.
Donkey: Oh, my God! You ate the princess. (to her stomach) Can you hear me?
Fiona: Donkey!
Donkey: (still aimed at her stomach) Listen, keep breathing! I'll get you out of there!
Fiona: No!
Donkey: Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!
Fiona: (Covering Donkey's mouth) Shh.
Donkey: (Muffled) Shrek!
Fiona: This is me.
(Donkey looks into her eyes as she pets his muzzle, and he calms down)
Donkey: Princess...? What happened to you? You're, uh...uh...eh...different.
Fiona: I'm ugly, okay?
Donkey: Well, yeah! Well was it something you ate? 'Cause I told Shrek those rats was a bad idea. You are what you eat, I said. Now--
Fiona: No! I -- I've been this way as long as I can remember.
Donkey: What do you mean? Look, I ain't never seen you like this before.
Fiona: It only happens when sun goes down.
(Fiona leans over a barrel filled with water, looking at her reflection)
Fiona: "By night one way, by day another. This shall be the norm... until you find true love's first kiss... and then take love's true form."
Donkey: Aww, that's beautiful. I didn't know you wrote poetry.
Fiona: It's a spell. (sigh) When I was a little girl, a witch cast a spell on me. Every night I become this. This horrible, ugly beast!
(Fiona smacks her reflection in the water, which splashes water onto Donkey)
Fiona: I was placed in a tower to await the day my true love would rescue me. That's why I have to marry Lord Farquaad tomorrow before the sun sets and he sees me...like this.
(She holds her head and begins to cry)
Donkey: All right, all right. Calm down. Look, it's not that bad. You're not that ugly. Well, ok, I ain't gonna lie. You are ugly. But you only look like this at night. Shrek's ugly 24/7.
Fiona: But Donkey, I'm a princess, and this is not how a princess is meant to look.
Donkey: Princess, how 'bout if you don't marry Farquaad?
Fiona: I have to. Only my true love's kiss can break the spell.
Donkey: But, you know, um...you're kind of an ogre. And Shrek...well...you got a lot in common.
Fiona: Shrek?
WINDMILL EXTERIOR
(Shrek is walking towards the windmill with a sunflower in his hand, talking to himself)
Shrek: Princess, I-- Uh, how's it going, first of all? Good? Um, good for me too. I'm okay. I saw this flower and thought of you because it's pretty and-- well, I don't really like it but I thought you might like it 'cause you're pretty. But I like you anyway. I'd-- uh, uh...(sighs) I'm in trouble. Okay, here we go.
(He walks up to the door and pauses outside when he hears Donkey and Fiona talking)
Fiona: I can't just marry whoever I want. Take a good look at me, Donkey. I mean, really, who can ever love a beast so hideous and ugly? "Princess" and "ugly" don't go together. That's why I can't stay here with Shrek.
(Shrek steps back in shock, misunderstanding the conversation's meaning)
Fiona: My only chance to live happily ever after is to marry my true love. Don't you see, Donkey? That's just how it has to be.
(Shrek heaves a deep sigh. He throws the flower down and walks away angrily)
WINDMILL INTERIOR
Fiona: It's the only way to break the spell.
Donkey: Well you at least gotta tell Shrek the truth.
(Donkey walks over to the door)
Fiona: No! You can't breathe a word. No one must ever know.
Donkey: What's the point of being able to talk if you gotta keep secrets?
Fiona: Promise you won't tell. Promise!
Donkey: All right, all right. I won't tell him. But you should.
(Donkey steps outside and talks to himself)
Donkey: I just know before this is over, I'm gonna need a whole lot of serious therapy. Look at my eye twitching.
(Fiona opens the door and watches him walk away. She looks down and spots the sunflower left by the door. She picks it up and looks around, then heads back inside and closes the door. Donkey falls asleep by the fire outside)
WINDMILL INTERIOR - MORNING
(Donkey is asleep. Fiona is still awake, plucking at petals from the sunflower)
Fiona: I tell him, I tell him not. I tell him, I tell him not...
(Fiona picks the last petal off the sunflower, smiling)
Fiona: I tell him! Shrek!
(She opens the door and steps outside)
Fiona: Shrek! There's something I want...
(Fiona looks around for Shrek only to see Donkey sleeping. She sees the rising sun, and as the sun crests the sky, she turns back into a human. She looks up again to see Shrek stomping towards her. She hurries over to him)
Fiona: Shrek! Are you all right?
(She puts her hand on his arm, but he nudges it away and walks past her)
Shrek: Perfect! Never been better.
Fiona: I...I don't...there's something I have to tell you.
Shrek: You don't have to tell me anything, princess. I heard enough last night.
Fiona: You heard what I said?
Shrek: Every word.
(Shrek sits down on the steps of the windmill and faces Fiona)
Fiona: I thought you'd understand.
Shrek: Oh, I understand. Like you said, "Who could love a hideous, ugly beast?"
Fiona: But I thought that wouldn't matter to you.
Shrek: Yeah? Well, it does.
(Fiona looks at him in shock, tears welling in her eyes. Shrek looks past her and spots a group approaching)
Shrek: Ah, right on time. Princess, I've brought you a little something.
(Shrek gestures towards the group and Fiona stands with her mouth wide. Lord Farquaad arrives on horseback, appearing taller than usual, along with an escort of guards. Donkey wakes up with a yawn as the guards march by)
Donkey: What'd I miss? What'd I miss?
(One of the guards looms over him and he begins to scurry away, muttering to himself)
Donkey: Who said that? Couldn't have been the donkey.
(Lord Farquaad stops his horse in front of Fiona)
Lord Farquaad: Princess Fiona.
Shrek: As promised. Now hand it over.
Lord Farquaad: Very well, ogre. The deed to your swamp, cleared out, as agreed. Take it and go before I change my mind.
(Shrek snatches the deed out of the hands of a guard and walks away. Fiona is put off by this exchange. She reverts her attention back to the long-awaited Lord Farquaad)
Lord Farquaad: Forgive me, Princess, for startling you, but you startled me--for I have never seen such a radiant beauty before. I am Lord Farquaad.
Fiona: Lord Farquaad? Oh, no, no. Forgive me, my lord, for I was just saying a short...
(Lord Farquaad snaps his finger and is lifted off his horse by his guards. Left behind on the horse is a large set of gauntlets and a pair of leg extenders that reached down to the stirrups, which made him look so tall on the saddle. and set down in front of her. Standing at the height of four and a half feet, he is much shorter than Fiona. Her look turns from nervousness to bemusement, and she awkwardly smiles)
Fiona: ...farewell.
Lord Farquaad: Oh, that is so sweet. You don't have to waste good manners on the ogre. It's not like it has feelings.
Fiona: No, you're right. It doesn't.
(Shrek, still standing nearby with his back turned, is hurt by the comment. Donkey watches this exchange with a curious look on his face)
Lord Farquaad: Princess Fiona, beautiful, fair, flawless Fiona. I ask your hand in marriage.
(Lord Farquaad gets down on one knee and takes Fiona's hand, pulling her down sharply)
Lord Farquaad: Will you be the perfect bride for the perfect groom?
(Fiona makes eye contact with Shrek before he turns away. Her sad look turns to bitterness)
Fiona: Lord Farquaad, I accept. Nothing would make--
Lord Farquaad: Excellent! I'll start the plans, for tomorrow we wed!
Fiona: No!
(Shrek spins back around with a hopeful look on his face while Fiona tries to regain her composure)
Fiona: I mean--ah, why wait? Let's get married today. Before sunset.
(Shrek glares and turns away)
Lord Farquaad: Oh, anxious, are we? You're right. The sooner, the better. There's so much to do!
(Lord Farquaad snaps his fingers and is lifted onto his horse by his guard. The guard offers Fiona assistance, but she looks up onto the saddle on her own)
Lord Farquaad: There's the caterer, the cake, the band, the guest list. Captain, round up some guests!
(Fiona, Lord Farquaad, and his guards set off towards Duloc. Fiona gives Shrek one last spiteful look)
Fiona: Fare thee well, ogre.
(Donkey catches up to Shrek as he his walking away)
Donkey: Shrek, what are you doing? You're letting her get away!
Shrek: Yeah? So what?
Donkey: Shrek there's something about her you don't know. Look, I-- I talked to her last night... She's --
Shrek: Yeah I know you talked to her last night. You're great pals, aren't ya? Now, if you two are such good friends, why don't you follow her home?!
Donkey: But Shrek, I-- I wanna go with you.
Shrek: Hey I told you, didn't I? You're not coming home with me. I live alone! My swamp! Me! Nobody else! Understand? Nobody! ESPECIALLY USELESS, PATHETIC, ANNOYING, TALKING DONKEYS!
Donkey: But, I thought...
Shrek: Yeah. You know what? You thought wrong! (storms off)
Donkey: (sadly) Shrek.
(Montage of different scenes. Shrek arrives back home. The swamp is a mess but the fairytale creatures are gone. Fiona is being fitted for her wedding dress. Shrek throws a sunflower into the fireplace. Lord Farquaad proudly tries on his crown. Fiona stares at her wedding cake, pushing down a figure of Lord Farquaad to show his actual height. She notices a suit of armor that reminds her of Shrek. Donkey stops by a river where he finds Dragon crying, both of them happy to see each other. Shrek and Fiona both try to eat dinner but start crying)
SHREK'S SWAMP
(Shrek is sitting at the dinner table when he hears a sound outside. He goes outside to investigate, and sees Donkey assembling a line of branches and small rocks)
Shrek: Donkey? What are you doing?
Donkey: I would think, of all people, you would recognize a wall when you see one.
Shrek: Well, yeah. But the wall's supposed to go around my swamp, not through it.
Donkey: It is, around your half. See that's your half, and this is my half.
Shrek: Oh! Your half? Hmm.
Donkey: Yes, my half. I helped rescue the princess. I did half the work. I get half the booty. Now hand me that big old rock, the one that looks like your head.
(Shrek starts pulling down the wall and picks up a large branch. Donkey butts his head against it and the 2 struggle over it)
Shrek: Back off!
Donkey: No, you back off.
Shrek: This is my swamp!
Donkey: Our swamp!
Shrek: Let go, Donkey!
Donkey: You let go!
Shrek: Stubborn jackass!
Donkey: Smelly ogre.
Shrek: Fine!
(Shrek suddenly lets go of the branch, tripping Donkey over, and he walks away)
Donkey: Hey, hey, come back here. I'm not through with you yet.
Shrek: Well, I'm through with you!
(Donkey starts following him)
Donkey: Uh-uh! You know, with you it's always "me, me, me!" Well, guess what! Now it's my turn! So you just shut up and pay attention!
(Just as Shrek nears the door to his home, Donkey jumps in front of him. Shrek walks in another direction)
Donkey: You are mean to me! You insult me and you don't appreciate anything that I do! You're always pushing me around or pushing me away.
Shrek: Oh, yeah? Well, if I treated you so bad, how come you came back?
Donkey: Because that's what friends do! They forgive each other!
Shrek: Oh, yeah. You're right, Donkey. I forgive you...for stabbing me in the back!
(Shrek enters the outhouse and slams the door behind him)
Donkey: Ohhhhh! You're so wrapped up in layers, onion boy, you're afraid of your own feelings.
Shrek: Go away!
Donkey: See! There you are, doing it again just like you did to Fiona. And all she ever do was like you, maybe even love you.
Shrek: Love me? She said I was ugly! A hideous creature! I heard the two of you talking.
Donkey: She wasn't talkin' about you. She was talkin' about...uh...somebody else.
(After a brief silence, Shrek comes up of the outhouse)
Shrek: She wasn't talking about me? Well then who was she talking about?
(Donkey turns his back to Shrek)
Donkey: Uh-uh, no way. I ain't saying anything. You don't wanna listen to me. Right? Right?
Shrek: Donkey!
Donkey: No!
Shrek: Okay, look. I'm sorry, all right?
(Donkey turns his head back to raise his eyebrow, and then looks away again. Shrek sighs)
Shrek: I'm sorry. I guess I am just a big, stupid...ugly ogre. Can you forgive me?
Donkey: Hey, that's what friends are for, right?
Shrek: Right. Friends?
Donkey: Friends.
(Shrek and Donkey shake on it)
Shrek: So, um, what did Fiona say about me?
Donkey: What are you asking me for? Why don't you just go ask her?
Shrek: The wedding! We'll never make it in time.
Donkey: Ha-ha-ha! Never fear, for where, there's a will, there's a way and I have a way.
(Donkey whistles loudly, and Shrek looks up to see Dragon flying overhead)
Shrek: Donkey?!
Donkey: I guess it's just my animal magnetism.
Shrek: (laughs) Aw, come here, you.
(Shrek gives Donkey a noogie)
Donkey: All right, all right. Don't get all slobbery. No one likes a kiss ass. All right, hop on and hold on tight. I haven't had a chance to install the seat belts yet.
(Shrek climbs up the chain still slung around Dragon's neck. Dragon lifts Donkey up with her hand. They take off, soaring through the clouds and to Duloc)
DULOC CATHEDRAL - INTERIOR
(The church is packed with citizens. Fiona and Farquaad are standing at the altar as the priest conducts the ceremony. Thelonius stands nearby, golding a pillow on which rests the two wedding rings. Men with prompter cards hold up cards that says 'Revered Silence')
Bishop: People of Duloc, we gather here today to bear witness to the union....
(Fiona glances nervously at the window, noticing the sun slowly dropping toward the horizon)
Fiona: Um-
Bishop: ...of our new king...
Fiona: Excuse me. Could we just skip ahead to the "I do's"?
(Lord Farquaad chuckles then motions to the bishop to indulge Fiona)
Lord Farquaad: Go on.
DULOC CATHEDRAL - EXTERIOR
(A large group of guards stand outside the cathedral on watch. Suddenly Dragon lands nearby and the guards flee in terror. Dragon looks back at Donkey after him and Shrek climb off of her back)
Donkey: Go ahead, have some fun. If we need you, I'll whistle. How about that?
(Dragon smiles, and nods, and takes off towards the town streets. Shrek runs for the cathedral doors but Donkey hurries to get in his way)
Donkey: Shrek, wait, wait! Wait a minute! You wanna do this right, don't you?
Shrek: What are you talking about?
Donkey: There's a line, there's a line you gotta wait for. The priest is gonna say, "Speak now or forever hold your peace." And that's when you say, "I object!"
Shrek: Oh, I don't have time for this!
Donkey: Hey, wait. What are you doing? Listen to me!
(Shrek pushes past him but Donkey pins him against the door)
Donkey: Look, you love this woman, don't you?
Shrek: Yes.
Donkey: You wanna hold her?
Shrek: Yes.
Donkey: Please her?
Shrek: Yes!
Donkey: (singing) "Then you got to, got to try a little tenderness". (talking) The chicks love that romantic crap!
Shrek: All right! Cut it out! When does this guy say the line?
Donkey: We gotta check it out.
INTERIOR
As the bishop talks we see Donkey through one of the windows as Shrek tosses him up so he can see.
Bishop: And so, by the power vested in me...
EXTERIOR
Shrek: What do you see?!
Donkey: The whole town's in there.
Bishop: I now pronounce you husband and wife...
Donkey: They're at the altar!
Bishop: ...king and queen.
Donkey: Mother Fletcher! He already said it.
Shrek: Oh, for the love of Pete!
(Shrek runs inside without catching Donkey, who hits the ground hard)
INTERIOR
(Fiona and Lord Farquaad are leaning in to kiss, but are interrupted when Shrek bursts through the doors. They both turn to see him running down the aisle)
Shrek: I object!
Fiona: Shrek?
(Fiona initially looks happily surprised to see him, but quickly becomes upset. The bishop gasps, shuts his book, and quietly slinks off)
Lord Farquaad: Oh, now what does he want?
(The whole congregation gasps as they see Shrek walk ahead towards the altar. They respond positively to him and begin to do "the wave")
Shrek: Hi, everyone. Having a good time, are ya? I love Duloc, first of all. Very clean.
Fiona: What are you doing here?
Lord Farquaad: Really, it's rude enough being alive when no one wants you, but showing up uninvited to a wedding...
(Shrek initially seems taken aback by Farquaad's unnessarily harsh comment, but he quickly brushes it off and turns his attention towards Fiona)
Shrek: Fiona! I need to talk to you.
Fiona: Oh, now you wanna talk? It's a little late for that, so if you'll excuse me--
(She leans over to kiss Farquaad but Shrek pulls her away by the hand)
Shrek: But you can't marry him!
(She frees her hand from his grip)
Fiona: And why not?
Shrek: Because--because he's just marrying you so he can be king!
(The crowd gasps)
Lord Farquaad: Outrageous! Fiona, don't listen to him--
Shrek: He's not your true love.
FIONA: And what do you know about true love?!
Shrek: Well, I--uh--I mean...
(Fiona is taken aback by this)
Lord Farquaad: Oh, this is precious. (laughs) The ogre has fallen in love with the princess! Oh, good Lord. (laughs)
(Lord Farquaad gestures to the man with the prompter card holds up a card that says 'Laugh'. The whole congregation laughs)
Lord Farquaad: An ogre and a princess! (laughs)
(Shrek looks back at the laughing crowd and then down at the floor, dejected)
Fiona: Shrek, is this true?
Lord Farquaad : Who cares?! It's preposterous! Fiona, my love, we're but a kiss away from our "happily ever after." Now kiss me!
(Lord Farquaad holds Fiona's hand, puckers his lips, and leans toward her. She looks down at him with disgust, and then averts her attention to the window. The sun is just about to set)
Fiona: "By night one way, by day another." I wanted to show you before.
(Fiona backs up and gives Shrek a sheepish smile. As the sun sets, she changes into her ogre self. The crowd gasps and one person faints. Shrek stares at Fiona in astonishment, and then grins)
Shrek: Well, uh, that explains a lot!
(Fiona locks eyes with Shrek and smiles)
Lord Farquaad : Ugh! It's disgusting! Guards! Guards! I order you to get them out of my sight now!
(A large amount of guards run in and grab ahold of Shrek and Fiona)
Lord Farquaad : Get them! Get them both!
Fiona: No, no! Shrek!
(Shrek and Fiona try to grab each other's arms but are pulled away from each other. Lord Farquaad grabs ahold of his crown and puts it on)
Lord Farquaad: This hocus-pocus alters nothing! This marriage is binding, and that makes me king! See?! See?!
Fiona: No, let go of me! Shrek!
Shrek: No!
Lord Farquaad : Don't just stand there, you morons!
Shrek: Get out of my way! Fiona!
Lord Farquaad: Kill him if you have to--but get him!
(Shrek angrily fights back and knocks out a few of the guards, but they are able to subdue him through sheer numbers)
Lord Farquaad: Beast, I'll make you regret the day we met! I'll see you drawn and quartered! You'll beg for death to save you!
Fiona: No, Shrek!
Lord Farquaad : And as for you, my wife!
(Lord Farquaad pulls out a dagger and holds it to Fiona's throat)
Shrek: Fiona!
Lord Farquaad: I'll have you locked back in that tower for the rest of your days! I am king!
(Shrek manages to pulls his arm free and he whistles loudly)
Lord Farquaad: I will have order! I will have perfection! I will have--
Suddenly Dragon, with Donkey atop her head, crashes through a large window behind him. Lord Farquaad drops his weapon and looks up.
Lord Farquaad: (Screaming)
Dragon swoops down and swallows him up in one gulp. The guards either run away or step back.
Donkey: All right! Nobody move! I got a dragon here, and I'm not afraid to use it.
(Dragon roars, causing most of the guards to away in fear. The remaining guards let go of Shrek and Fiona, backing away)
Donkey: I'm a donkey on the edge!
(Dragon belches and Lord Farquaad's crown flies out of her mouth and falls to the ground)
Donkey: Celebrity marriages. They never last, do they?
(The congregation laughs and cheers)
Donkey: Go ahead, Shrek.
Shrek: Uh, Fiona?
Fiona: Yes, Shrek?
Shrek: I -- I love you.
Fiona: Really?
Shrek: Really, really.
Fiona: I love you too.
(Shrek and Fiona kiss. Thelonius takes one of the cards and writes 'Awwww' on the back and shows it to the congregation. Suddenly the magic of the spell pulls Fiona away. She's lifted up into the air and she hovers while the magic works around her. Fiona's voice is heard although she isn't moving her lips)
Fiona: "Until you find true love's first kiss and then take love's true form. Take love's true form. Take love's true form."
(Suddenly Fiona's eyes open wide and light up. The force of the spell blows against the crowd and all the windows. All except for one with an image of Farquaad on it, which Dragon breaks with her fist. Fiona is lowered to the ground and Shrek runs up to her)
Shrek: Fiona? Fiona. Are you all right?
(Fiona slowly stands up, still an ogress)
Fiona: Well, yes...but I don't understand. I'm supposed to be beautiful.
Shrek: But you are beautiful.
(They smile at each other)
Donkey: I was hoping this would be a happy ending.
(Shrek and Fiona)
THE SWAMP
Shrek and Fiona are now joined in matrimony in Shrek's swamp. Among the attendees are the fairytale creatures once banished to the swamp, as well as a few Duloc Guards. Shrek and Fiona walk down the aisle to their awaiting carriage, which is made of a giant onion. Fiona tosses her bouquet which both Cinderella and Snow White try to catch. They end get into a cat fight and Dragon catches the bouquet instead. Donkey looks nervous, but Shrek and Fiona give him reassuring looks. Gingy has been mended somewhat and now has one leg and walks with a candy cane cane.
Gingy: God bless us, every one.
The guests party and dance as Donkey takes over singing The Monkees song. Shrek and Fiona ride away in their carriage. Cut to a storybook that reads "And they lived ugly ever after...THE END".
Donkey: (as he's done singing and we fade to black) Oh, that's funny. Oh. Oh. I can't breathe. I can't breathe.
THE END
Insomnia
by
H. Seitz
5.2.00
FADE IN:
On credit sequence...
AN ARM
stretched out. Long, alabaster white. Beautiful. A WASH
CLOTH enters frame. Starts washing the arm with long, tender
strokes. 
A TUMBLE OF HAIR
 
thick and auburn. Being gently washed. 
FINGERNAILS
being clipped with a shiny nail clipper. Short. Uniform.
Tidy.
EYEBROWS
brown with a touch of gold. A BRUSH comes into view.
Brushes against the eyebrow hair, then back again. Against.
Then back again.
PANTY-HOSE
pulled gingerly off a long leg. Folded neatly. The wash
cloth begins between the toes. Warm, soapy water.
HAIR
now dry. The HAND appears with a comb. Pulls down through
the thick tresses.
It is only now that we see the hand is wearing a SURGICAL
GLOVE.
The gloved hand holds up the comb and pulls stray hairs from
it. Places them in a big, clear, plastic bag. In the bag we
see the panty-hose, a folded flower dress, the nail
clippings.
Goes back to combing. Comes across a knot and yanks the comb
through. The HEAD rolls over to us. Her face is bruised,
her eyes blank. She is lying on the floor.
Dead.
End of credit sequence.
INT. BUSH PLANE - THE KILBUCK MOUNTAINS, ALASKA - DAY
The loud THRUM of a bush plane. We CLOSE ON a small, cloudy
window. Through it we see an endless expanse of pine trees.
HAP (O.S.)
Jesus. Just look at all that.
PULL BACK to reveal HAP ECKHART and WILL DORMER sitting side
by side. Hap's at the window. Greying moustache, a little
pudgy, wearing a brown suit. Holding a folded over Seattle
Times.
HAP (cont'd)
I thought we had a population problem.
Everyone should just move up here.
(taps window)
Just look at it, Will.
Will's eyes remain on the file on his lap.
WILL
I don't need to look at it.
Will Dormer. Tall, handsome, expensively tailored suit.
Snakeskin cowboy boots. There's both a magnetism and a
distance to him. An intense mixture. Hap glances at him.
 
HAP
Nothing wrong with smelling the roses.
Will looks up. We see the trace of a thick, ropy SCAR by his
Adam's apple. There's tension between him and Hap, just
below the surface. He taps the file.
WILL
Tell that to her, partner.
ANGLE ON THE FILE
a stack of 8x10 PHOTOGRAPHS. Of the dead girl. Her eyes
puffed up from bruises. The whites bloody. Contusions along
her breasts and shoulders.
PILOT (O.S.)
Detective?
The PILOT's looking back at Will. Wearing a leather red
baron hat.
PILOT (cont'd)
Better check your belts. We'll be
landing in about fifteen minutes.
Will nods. The plane lurches. The file falls to the floor
and the photographs scatter. The pilot catches a glimpse of
them. Looks at Will.
EXT. BUSH PLANE - CONTINUOUS
The small yellow plane veers left. Clears a mountain top and
gives view to the spectacular Alaskan coastline. The green
of the Bering sea, the blanket of pine trees, the jagged rock
of the beaches. Enormous.
EXT. LANDING STRIP - OUTSIDE NIGHTMUTE - DAY
A SIGN swinging in the wind: Nightmute, Alaska. Halibut
Fishing Capital of the World!
PULL BACK to reveal it hanging from the eave of a small,
corrugated building. The "airport." Nothing else for miles
around.
A mud-splattered Jeep Cherokee pulls up next to it. Brakes
SCREECHING. A YOUNG WOMAN hops out. About 23. Petite with
short, brown hair.
Peers up at the sky. Brightens at the sight of the BUSH
PLANE coming in for landing. Smooths down her down vest.
Making sure the GOLD SHIELD on her belt's visible. Nervous.
Excited.
OLD MAN (O.S.)
Eleanor?
ELLIE BURR turns. Shields her eyes from the sun. An OLD MAN
hosing down the side of the building.
ELLIE
Hey, Mr. Angstrom!
MR. ANGSTROM
What're you doing here?
Ellie puffs up.
ELLIE
Police business.
MR. ANGSTROM
Police business?
The old man screws up his face, confused. 
MR. ANGSTROM (cont'd)
Didn't you used to baby-sit for us? 
ELLIE
I don't babysit any more, Mr. Angstrom.
Just made detective three weeks ago.
A CAT jumps down off the roof. Angstrom sprays it.
MR. ANGSTROM
Boy, Charlie must be short-handed down at
the station.
Ellie, used to not being taken seriously. Turns back to THE
ROAR of the bush plane as it taxis down the strip. Coming to
a stop. She hurries over as the door swings open and...
WILL DORMER steps down. Slipping on his sunglasses.
Scanning the nothingness around him. Spots the swinging
sign.
WILL
"Halibut fishing capital of the world."
Hap, right behind him. Rubs his neck.
HAP
This ought to be interesting.
ELLIE
(over the engine)
Detective Dormer!
They look down. Ellie reaches up and takes Will's bag. Then
his hand. Shakes it vigorously.
ELLIE (cont'd)
It's a huge honor to meet you! Ellie
Burr. I'm here to take you to the
station!
Will motions to Hap.
WILL
My partner...
ELLIE
Detective Eckhart! I know! Welcome to
Nightmute!
She leads them away from the plane. Takes Will's briefcase.
ELLIE
I just want to say how incredible it is 
to have you working with us, Detective
Dormer. I've followed all your cases.
Theodore Dineli, Frank and Casey
Prud'homme, the Port Angeles shootings...
Opens the back of the Jeep. Puts the bags inside.
ELLIE (cont'd)
...And especially the Leland Street
Murders. That was my case study at the
Academy.
The Pilot walks by. Taps her on the shoulder.
PILOT
Tell your dad the game's gonna start late
this week, Ellie.
ELLIE
Sure thing, Spence.
She looks back at Will. Can't help but focus in on his scar.
Touches her own smooth neck. In awe.
ELLIE (cont'd)
That's where Ronald Langley cut you in
the basement of his father's house on 325
Leland, isn't it?
Will smiles, taken aback by this girl's exuberance.
WILL
You did your homework, Officer.
ELLIE
Actually...
She throws a quick glance at Angstrom. Out of ear-shot.
ELLIE
I just made detective three weeks ago.
EXT. NIGHTMUTE POLICE DEPARTMENT - DAY
The Cherokee parked next to a police car outside a plain, one-
storey building. The Nightmute Police Department. A totem
pole stands out front.
CHIEF NYBACK (O.S.)
Will Dormer!
INT. CHIEF CHARLES NYBACK'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Nightmute Police Chief CHARLES NYBACK gets up from behind his
desk with a big smile. Ruddy, red hair sprinkled with grey,
Nyback wears a faded army sweater over his uniform.
CHIEF NYBACK
I'll be damned!
Limps from behind his desk and gives Will a shake and a slap
on the back.
WILL
(warmly)
How you doing, Charlie?
Nyback shakes Hap's hand. A reunion.
HAP
Hey, Charlie.
CHIEF NYBACK
Christ. I haven't seen you boys since...
WILL
Just after Leland Street.
CHIEF NYBACK
What's that, then?
HAP
Eight years.
WILL
Seven years.
CHIEF NYBACK
Seven years? Where does it all go? That
was some amazing time, though, wasn't it?
Looks at Will. Down at his boots.
CHIEF NYBACK (cont'd)
You haven't changed a bit, Will.
Will. Looks at Nyback's gut.
WILL
You have, Chief.
They LAUGH. Eyes twinkling.
CHIEF NYBACK
I knew that was coming. I deserve it.
He starts back over to his desk. Notices Ellie still
standing by the door. Points to Will.
CHIEF NYBACK (cont'd)
Pay attention to this man, Ellie. He'll
teach you how to be a great cop.
Ellie straightens. Smiles. Looks over at Will.
ELLIE
Yes, sir.
CHIEF NYBACK
That's all, for now.
Ellie, realises they want to be alone.
ELLIE
Oh. Right. Okay.
Backs out. Quietly closing the door behind her. Will
unbuttons his jacket. Takes a seat.
WILL
Nice kid.
CHIEF NYBACK
(sits with a SIGH)
Got a love affair with police work.
Drives me crazy with it.
Will surveys the fishing poles leaning against the gun rack.
WILL
Keeping you busy up here, Charlie?
Hap picks up a cheap trophy. Reads the base.
HAP
"2nd prize Great Kodiak Salmon Catch."
CHIEF NYBACK
I told you seven years ago this was a 
stepping stone to retirement.
Nyback nods to Hap's Seattle Times. The headline: "Deeper
Investigation into Special Branch"...
CHIEF NYBACK (cont'd)
Looks like it's a good time for you to
get up here, too. With all the bad
business going on down at Special Branch.
Will and Hap share a look. No more joking. Hap folds over
the paper.
CHIEF NYBACK (cont'd)
Just five bad apples so far?
WILL
So far.
CHIEF NYBACK
What's the D.A. got them on?
WILL
Four unwarranted shootings, witness
intimidation, and cocaine theft.
Nyback winces.
CHIEF NYBACK
How about you? How you faring?
HAP
They're all over us, Charlie.
WILL
They're all over everybody.
HAP
I.A.'s calling themselves the "Corruption
Task Force." Can you believe that?
Trying to root out any mistakes or
"oversights" any other Detectives may
have made over the years. They're
turning it into a witch hunt. Something
on the news about it practically every
night.
Nyback pulls a stack of messages from his desk.
CHIEF NYBACK
Got a bunch of messages here from some
guy named Warfield.
Hap tosses a glance over at Will.
WILL
That's I.A.'s pit bull.
CHIEF NYBACK
Wants me to keep him posted on all your
movements up here.
Nyback turns and ceremoniously drops the messages into the
trash.
CHIEF NYBACK (cont'd)
I'm just glad Buck could spare you a
couple of weeks. Take you out of the
frenzy. I gotta tell you, though, I sure
don't miss big city police work. Not
that I was ever a great detective. But
up here there's no Bureaucracy. No
Public Relations. No blurred lines.
Just good guys and bad guys. Simple.
A cloud passes over his face.
CHIEF NYBACK (cont'd)
Except for this.
Holds up a file. The name written on the lip: KAY CONNELL.
INT. HALLWAY - MINUTES LATER
Nyback leads Will and Hap down a hallway. Crooked plaques
and black-and-white pictures line the walls.
CHIEF NYBACK
Couldn't get a thing from the body. Not
a trace. Town's never dealt with
anything like this before.
They turn a corner and stop at a door. Will glances up:
MOOSE ANTLERS hanging over it.
CHIEF NYBACK (cont'd)
I've briefed everybody about your coming.
They know to follow your lead.
Nyback opens the door onto...
INT. BULLPEN - NIGHTMUTE PD - CONTINUOUS
...the bullpen of Nightmute PD. Wooden desks, a couple
computers, a jumbled corkboard, an impressive gun cabinet. A
RADIO's playing.
Three MEN look over. A young uniformed cop and two guys with
heavy facial hair, Timberland boots, and flannel shirts. One
of them's part Inuit. Ellie sits in the back. Reaches over
to turn off the radio.
Will and Hap stand in the doorway. Sticking out like sore
thumbs in their suits. Nyback jerks his thumb towards them.
CHIEF NYBACK
This is Detective Dormer and his partner
Detective Eckhart. On loan from Buck
Lundgard, Seattle Robbery and Homicide
Special Branch. They'll be helping with
the Connell case.
The Inuit, FRED DUGGAR, snorts. Takes his feet of the desk.
FRED
Helping? 
CHIEF NYBACK
(ignoring him)
Anything they need to see, you show them;
anywhere they want to go, you take them.
(nods to Fred)
This is Detective Fred Duggar. He's been
leading the investigation up to now.
Will puts out his hand.
WILL
Detective...
Fred tugs at his dark handlebar moustache. Stands.
FRED
Suppose you want to see the body.
EXT. NIGHTMUTE POLICE DEPARTMENT - DAY
Fred steps out of the station, pulls on a baseball cap.
FRED
We can walk from here.
He heads off across the parking lot. Will and Hap exchange a
glance.
WILL
Guess that's what they call Alaskan
hospitality.
ELLIE (O.S.)
Don't worry about him...
They turn. Ellie's come up behind them. Looks over at the
hunched figure to Fred.
ELLIE (cont'd)
He's just mad 'cause you're taking over.
Fred stops up ahead. Sees her. Annoyed.
FRED
Ellie! Go type something!
INT. NIGHTMUTE MORGUE - LATER
CLOSE ON a faucet. A bead of water, quivering at the mouth.
Falls with a BLIP!
CORONER (O.S.)
Did a fundascopic examination and found
papilledema and petechiae of the retina.
PULL BACK to reveal Will, Hap, and the COUNTY CORONER
standing by a stainless steel table. The naked body of KAY
CONNELL is laid out before them. Fred hangs back.
The coroner tugs at her surgical gloves. She's in her late
seventies.
CORONER (cont'd)
Clear cause of death was herniation of
the brain stem due to intracerebral
hemorrhage.
HAP
Beaten to death.
CORONER
Beaten to death.
Will points to the bruises on the body's shoulders and
breasts.
WILL
What about these contusions?
CORONER
Superficial.
WILL
Any signs of rape?
CORONER
None.
The coroner starts to cover the body with a sheet.
CORONER (cont'd)
She was a nice girl. Played flute with
my granddaughter.
Will stays her hand.
WILL
Wait.
He pulls the sheet back down. Studying the body of Kay
Connell. Starts walking slowly around the table. In his
element. The faucet drips. Drips. Drips.
He bends down to smell her hair.
WILL (cont'd)
He washed her hair.
Takes a handful and lets it fall from his fingers.
WILL (cont'd)
Combed it.
Continues around the table. Picks up one of her hands.
Examines her fingers, her nails.
WILL (cont'd)
Cleaned under her fingernails. Clipped
them.
Continues down around her feet. Checks between her first and
second toes.
WILL (cont'd)
Toes, too.
(to Fred)
You found nothing on the body?
FRED
No.
 
WILL
No fibers, skin flakes, hairs...
FRED
Like I said, no. We know about those
things up here.
Will stands there. Looking down at the body. Slim. Young.
Beautiful. Skin like marble.
WILL
He knew exactly what we'd be looking for.
Made sure to cover up all his tracks.
HAP
Even the best make mistakes.
Will looks up and locks eyes with his partner.
INT. PIONEER LODGE - NIGHTMUTE - NIGHT
Will and Hap enter the lobby of the Pioneer Lodge. Big stone
fireplace and heavy ceiling beams. MOOSE ANTLERS mounted
above reception. They put their bags down by the desk. Look
around.
RACHEL (O.S.)
Lower forty-eight.
They turn. RACHEL CLEMENT stands in a doorway behind the
desk. Dunking a teabag into a mug. Long dark hair and
intelligent eyes.
HAP
Lower forty-eight?
RACHEL
You're not from here. I can tell by your
walk.
HAP
Oh? And how's that?
RACHEL
Unsure.
Hap smiles at her. Will checks his watch.
WILL
Detectives Will Dormer and Hap Eckhart.
There should be a reservation for us.
Rachel looks at him. Goes to a small file box on the desk.
RACHEL
(to Hap)
Your friend's all business.
WILL
I'm always all business.
He glances out the window. It's as bright as day.
WILL (cont'd)
Is it really 9:30?
RACHEL
(nods)
Alaskan summers. Hope you're an easy
sleeper. It'll be like this all night.
She hands them two cards.
RACHEL (cont'd)
Sign here.
INT. WILL'S ROOM - NIGHT
Will's taken off his jacket and is unpacking. The room is
sparse and creaky. Bed dips in the middle. He hangs a
jacket in the armoire then returns to his suitcase. Pulls
out his SMITH AND WESSON 45.
Lays it on the bedside table. Takes out a shoulder holster.
A back holster. A handful of shells. Lays them on the 
table. Then a small SMITH AND WESSON 39/13 9MM. Checks the
magazine.
There's a KNOCK on the adjoining door.
HAP (O.S.)
Me.
Will SLAPS the magazine back.
WILL
Come on in.
Hap opens the door. A glimpse into his room: family PICTURES
on his bedside table - a WOMAN and three teenage GIRLS.
HAP
See you have the same decor as my room.
He walks over to the big window. It overlooks the harbor.
Big, snow-capped mountains in the distance. One lone TUGBOAT
in the harbor towing a freighter.
HAP (cont'd)
Same view, too.
(looks out)
I've been watching that tugboat for the
last half hour. So small, pulling all
that weight.
(beat)
We have to talk, Will.
Will reaches into his suitcase. Pulls out a shirt.
WILL 
What do you want to talk about?
HAP
You know what about.
Will throws him a look.
WILL
We'll talk when we get back to Seattle.
HAP
When's that, a week? Two weeks?...
(heads over to him)
We have to figure out a plan of action
now.
WILL
You know my plan of action.
HAP
To do nothing.
WILL
That's right.
HAP
Dammit, Will. Warfield had me locked up
in his office again for five hours
yesterday. Five hours. Asking all kinds
of questions...
WILL
He's asking everybody questions.
HAP
But he's zeroing in on me. On us.
Everyone's talking about it.
WILL
He's just rattling your cage.
HAP
Well, I gotta tell you. With a wife,
three kids, and a pension plan in the
balance, it's rattling hard.
WILL
We say nothing. It goes away. Simple as
that.
Will goes back to his suitcase. Hap follows. A thin film of
sweat on his upper lip.
HAP
(lowers voice)
Look. We've tampered with evidence.
We've pushed witnesses. We've planted
shit. And they're sniffing around like
dogs. Especially on the Dobbs case...
Will flares up. Struck a nerve. Turns to his partner.
WILL
Weston Dobbs killed an eight year-old boy
and left him hanging in the basement like
a piece of meat. You remember that?
HAP
You know I remember that.
WILL
One word to I.A. and he walks.
HAP
Maybe not. We could talk to Buck...
WILL
No way.
HAP
Cut some kind of a deal. I heard that's 
what Flynn's doing...
WILL
Mike Flynn's a dirty cop, Hap! We are
nothing like Mike Flynn. We did what we
needed to do to make sure that son-of-
bitch Dobbs paid for what he did. And
every bastard like him. We say one word
about it and every case we ever brought
in is going to blow wide open and they'll
all walk. Every last one. And I am not
going to let that happen. No deals. No
compromises. No discussions.
He grabs a hanger.
HAP
Goddammit, Will. You grab on to
something and you don't let it go.
He takes out a handkerchief. Wipes his brow.
HAP
I don't know if it's because you think
it's the right thing to do or because
your pride won't let you do anything
else. I can't tell any more.
(steps back)
But I can tell you one thing. I'm
getting too old for this cowboy cop
stuff. Breaking the rules. Cleaning up
messes. We're a dying breed, Will.
You're a dying breed. I.A., the D.A.,
all those reporters - they don't care
what you did at Leland Street seven years
ago. They don't care that you've made
this your life. They don't care about
getting the bad guy...
Will turns on his partner, eyes burning.
WILL
I care.
The partners, lock eyes. Years of working together. A
thousand things unsaid. Hap reaches for the door.
HAP (cont'd)
They're watching us, Will. Like it or
not. They're watching us.
INT. WILL'S ROOM - NIGHT
Will's asleep. Kay Connell's folder open on his chest. It's
dark in his room, quiet. Suddenly the shade on his window
quivers and SNAPS up, flooding the room with light.
Will's eyes pop open. He rolls over to look at the clock:
3:15. Squinting, he gets up and walks over to the window.
We can see the rest of his scar. Runs down deep across his
sternum.
He yanks the shade back down. It bucks, then settles.
Satisfied, Will returns to bed. Plumps the pillow, pulls the
blanket up around him. Closes his eyes.
The shade lurches halfway. Then SNAPS back up. Light pours
in. Will's eyes open.
WILL
You got to be kidding me.
EXT. STREET - NIGHTMUTE - DAY
Will jogs along in a Sonics sweatshirt, a ring of sweat
around his collar. He looks out over the harbor. Fishing
boats coming in with their early morning haul. More halibut.
He checks his watch. Slows to a walk. Looks up and sees...
Ellie Burr standing on the front steps of the Pioneer Lodge.
Smiles. Holds up some car keys.
ELLIE
Fred wants us to meet him at the
Connell's.
INT./EXT. JEEP CHEROKEE - DAY
Ellie driving. A hula-girl, swinging from the rear-view
mirror. Will in the passenger seat. Wearing a crisp suit.
Ellie hands him a take-out bag.
ELLIE
Brought you a bear claw. Just in case
you were hungry.
Will takes the bag. Looks inside. Yikes.
ELLIE (cont'd)
Local delicacy.
WILL
Think I'll pass.
He puts the bag on the dash. Looks out the window.
Nightmute's main street. A line of shops. Undistinguished
Town Hall. Elementary school up on a hill. Sign out front:
Sign-ups for Midnight Little League!
WILL (cont'd)
What kind of calls you get around here?
ELLIE
Oh. You know. Small-time stuff.
Nothing like what you must get. Mostly
drinking-related problems. Domestic
abuse. Barroom fights. Stuff like that.
She shifts down. Takes a steep turn.
ELLIE (cont'd)
In the summer months it's pretty quiet.
That's when there's work out on the
boats. The rest of the year, though...
They pass a MAN walking along the road. Gnarled walking
stick. Ellie calls out the window.
ELLIE (cont'd)
Hey, there, Joe!
JOE waves. They pass.
ELLIE (cont'd)
That's Joe Willy. Took his family 
hostage in November. That was the most
exciting thing that happened last year.
I wasn't there, though.
(grinds gear)
Chief barely lets me handle anything
above a misdemeanor.
Will looks over at her. Smiles.
WILL
Don't give misdemeanors a bad rap.
ELLIE
But they're so boring. All small stuff.
WILL
It's all about the small stuff. Small
lies. Small mistakes. Small oversights.
People give themselves away in a traffic
violation just as much as they do in a
murder case. It's human nature.
He looks over. Ellie's listening intently.
WILL (cont'd)
Aren't you going to write that down?
Ellie, searching her pockets for something to write with...
ELLIE
Let me just...
Stops. Looks over. Realises Will's teasing her.
EXT. CONNELL HOUSE - DAY
A small ranch house. Aluminum siding. FLOWERS piled up by
the front door. TEDDY BEARS. RIBBONS. Left by well-wishers.
MRS. CONNELL (O.S.)
I haven't tidied up, since Fred told me
not to touch anything.
INT. HALLWAY - CONNELL HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
MRS. CONNELL, a big woman with a thick grey braid down her
back, opens the door to her daughter's room. Looks at Will.
MRS. CONNELL
I don't believe in keeping a child's room
like a shrine.
Will heads into the room. Hap follows. A palpable
uneasiness between them. Fred and Ellie stand in the
doorway. Mrs. Connell turns to go.
INT. KAY CONNELL'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS
A small bedroom. Pink shag carpeting and clouds painted on
the ceiling. Pictures cut from magazines pasted on the
walls. A stack of tapes and a boom box in the corner.
Will stands in the middle of the room. Taking it in.
WILL
Typical seventeen year-old.
(beat)
She went to a party Friday night?
ELLIE
Down at a local dive the kids like to
hang out in.
Fred throws Ellie a look. "Kids?" She's practically a kid
herself. Will opens the top drawer of the bureau. Roots
beneath the panties.
WILL
No diary.
On top of the bureau, a stack of photos. A couple torn up.
Kay Connell and a GIRL with white-blonde hair. Laughing.
FRED
She left the party early. Friends said
she had a fight with her boyfriend and
stormed out.
WILL
What time was that?
FRED
Around twelve-thirty.
Hap picks up a bear on Kay's bed. A bell JINGLES when he
shakes it. Will crosses to a closet in the corner.
WILL
Who was the last one to see her alive?
FRED
Randy Stetz. Her boyfriend. We've
questioned him, searched his place.
Didn't find anything.
Will pulls a dress out of the closet. Small, black, elegant.
The tag's been cut out. He pulls out another, then another.
Feels the fabric.
WILL
These are designer. Expensive.
(looks up)
Could Randy Stetz afford these?
Fred and Ellie exchange a look.
ELLIE
He fixes boat engines.
Will looks around. Cheap wallpaper, torn window screens.
WILL
Well her mother didn't buy them for her.
HAP
What are we thinking?
Will reaches over to a heart-shaped box on the bedside table.
Pulls out a pretty gold necklace. Holds it up.
WILL
Kay Connell had an admirer.
He hands the dresses to Ellie. Heads out of the room.
WILL (cont'd)
I want to talk to the boyfriend.
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY
CLOSE ON a hand squeezing a shoulder. Hard.
WILL
You don't seem all that sad.
The shoulder jerks away. PULL BACK to reveal RANDY STETZ
sitting at a wooden table in an interrogation room. Longish
blond hair, wearing a Metallica t-shirt, trying like hell to
grow a moustache.
RANDY
I haven't had a chance! You fuckers been
all over my back since Monday!
He takes out a cigarette. It's bent. He lights it. Hap
sits opposite.
HAP
You know smoking stunts your growth.
Randy throws him a look.
RANDY
Yeah, okay, fat-ass.
HAP
(smiles at Will)
More Alaskan hospitality.
Will goes over to a coffee machine. Pours a cup.
WILL
Did you love her?
RANDY
Huh?
WILL
Kay Connell. Did you love her?
Randy flicks his ash. Shrugs.
RANDY
Sure. She was nice.
Will turns with his coffee.
WILL
"She was nice." Wow. That makes me all
soft inside. Ever occur to you she
didn't love you back?
RANDY
Huh?
WILL
You heard me that time.
RANDY
She loved me. She wanted to see me every
night.
WILL
But she was seeing someone else on the
side.
Randy glares.
RANDY
I don't know what you're fucking talking
about.
WILL
Friday night, at the party - what'd you
fight about?
RANDY
Stuff.
WILL
What kind of stuff?
RANDY
Just stuff. I don't fucking remember.
WILL
The other guy?
RANDY
I told you I don't remember.
WILL
After that she left the party to go to
him.
RANDY
How should I know?...
WILL
Ran like hell to go to him...
RANDY
Fuck you, man! - I'm sick of all your
fucking cop questions...
Will suddenly hurls his coffee cup and grabs Randy up by the
collar. Nose to nose.
WILL
Now you listen to me, you little shit.
This fuck-the-world-Metallica-t-shirt 
crap may work with your mamma, but it
doesn't work with me. You got mad at
your girlfriend because she was seeing
someone else. You want to be the last
person who saw her alive or are you going
to tell me who that is?
Randy's lip curls. Red-faced.
RANDY
I don't know.
WILL
You don't know.
RANDY
She didn't tell me.
Disgusted, Will shoves Randy back into his seat.
INT. HALLWAY - MINUTES LATER
Will walking out of the interrogation room. Ellie joins him.
ELLIE
He's a little surly, isn't he?
Will smooths back his hair. Checks his tie.
WILL
Just a little.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the gold necklace
from Kay's room. Hands it to her.
WILL
I want you to check this out, Ellie.
ELLIE
We already did.
WILL
Do it again.
ELLIE
But there wasn't any...
Will stops. Ellie stops. Will puts a hand on her shoulder.
WILL
The small things - remember? The second
you're about to dismiss something - look
at it again.
Ellie smiles, teasing.
ELLIE
You want me to write that down?
Will, has to smile. She's quick. Looks down the hall. A
bearded GUY on crutches. Ellie follows his gaze.
WILL
Who's that?
ELLIE
The bartender at Darrow's. He was there
Friday night.
WILL
Good. He's up next.
Will heads over to him. Ellie watches his neck. Her hand
closing over the necklace.
INT. RESTAURANT - PIONEER LODGE - NIGHT
The Pioneer Lodge restaurant. Small, dark wood, a RADIO
playing something between Bluegrass and Folk. Some rough-
looking GUYS at the bar. Throwing looks over at...
Will and Hap, sitting at a table. Studying faded menus.
WILL
(reading)
Halibut Calabrese. Halibut Olympia.
Halibut Cajun Style. Halibut fish and
chips...
He puts down his menu. Reaches for his drink.
WILL (cont'd)
Can't wait to see what's for dessert.
HAP
At least there's variety.
Will drains his drink. Locks eyes with a big GUY over at the
bar. Beer froth on his moustache.
WILL
Looks like the natives are restless.
HAP
Will?
Will looks back at his partner. Hap's fidgeting with the end
of his tie.
HAP (cont'd)
I think, I think I'm gonna talk to Buck
when we get back to Seattle.
A cold flash down Will's spine.
HAP
I wish I could stick it out like you. I
just, with Trish and the kids...
WILL
Don't do this, Hap...
Hap avoids his eyes.
HAP
I'm thinking I could get off with
probation. Keep half my pension. That's
all I want.
WILL
(hisses)
Goddammit, Hap. Think about what you're
doing...
HAP
You don't have to be involved, Will.
WILL
You tell Buck and I'm involved whether I
like it or not...
RACHEL (O.S.)
Ready to order?
The men look up, interrupted. Rachel is standing by the
table with a pad. Hap tries to recover with a big smile.
HAP
Hey - you do everything around here?
RACHEL
Just about.
Will stands abruptly. Eyes on Hap. Trying not to explode.
WILL
I'll just have another Scotch in my room.
(turns to Rachel)
If you don't mind.
Just then, his cell phone RINGS.
INT. BULLPEN - NIGHTMUTE PD - NIGHT
Will bursts into the bullpen. Hap behind.
WILL
Where is it?
Ellie, Fred, and a couple other GUYS huddled around a desk.
ELLIE
Over here.
Will and Hap head over to them. One of the younger guys,
FARRELL, intimidated by Will's presence. Tucks his shirt
into his dirty jeans.
They part to reveal a BLUE KNAPSACK laying on the desk. Mud
spots all over it. An embroidered daisy. Will examines it.
WILL
We're sure it's hers?
FRED
Has her books in it.
HAP
What about prints?
Ellie shakes her head, unfortunately not. Will reaches into
the bag. Pulls out two text books.
WILL
Biology and Algebra.
He shoves the books towards one of the guys.
WILL (cont'd)
Find out who she studied with.
He continues through the bag. Pulls out a little plastic bag
with "Hello Kittys" all over it. Dumps out the contents.
WILL (cont'd)
Make-up.
Looks up at Fred.
WILL (cont'd)
Find out where she bought it.
Fred looks at him. Not happy with make-up duty. Will pulls
out a hair brush. Hands it to Ellie.
WILL (cont'd)
Lab.
Next, a couple worn paperbacks.
WILL (cont'd)
(reading titles)
Otherwise Engaged, Murder at Sunset.
He looks up at the group.
WILL (cont'd)
Who here reads this kind of crap?
Farrell straightens.
FARRELL
I read that kind of crap.
Will tosses them to him.
WILL
Read them. Tell me anything that strikes
you.
Down to the bottom of the bag. A Ziploc with a half-eaten
sandwich and an apple core. Will hands them to Ellie.
WILL (cont'd)
Lab.
Upends the knapsack. Scraps, paper clips, gum wrappers.
WILL (cont'd)
That's it.
Fred reaches for the knapsack.
FRED
I'll stick it in the evidence locker...
WILL
No.
Will takes it, walks slowly over to the window. Thinking.
Twists the knapsack in his hands and looks out at the
 
TOTEM POLE standing tall outside. A black RAVEN alights on
top of it. Pecks at the air. Turns. Seems to look right at 
Will.
WILL (cont'd)
We put it back where we found it.
Will turns to them.
WILL (cont'd)
You said it was a fishing cabin.
FARRELL
Uh, right. About two miles outside of
town.
ELLIE
On the beach.
Fred tightens his jaw.
FRED
Why are we taking it back?
Will ignores the question. Walks back towards them.
WILL
This murder was in the papers, right?
ELLIE
Yeah. All over.
WILL
Call all of them from here to Anchorage.
Tell them we now know that Kay Connell
left the party with a dark blue knapsack,
but we haven't recovered it yet.
(checks watch)
We can get it in by the morning editions.
He hands the bag to Farrell.
WILL (cont'd)
Fill this with random books. Make it
look heavy.
Will pulls out a handkerchief. Wipes the mud off his hands.
Taking his time. Finally turns to Fred.
WILL (cont'd)
It'll eat this guy alive if he thinks he
overlooked a detail.
EXT. ROCKY BEACH - OUTSIDE NIGHTMUTE - MORNING
POV through BINOCULARS
A WOODEN CABIN comes into focus. Right by the water. Hasn't
been used in years. Weathered, slate roof. Algae growing up
the sides.
HAP (O.S.)
Nice. Lighter than I remembered.
WILL lowers his binoculars. He's standing on the black rocky
beach. It's damp, slick, and cold. A fog's rolling in.
Hap and Farrell are sitting behind a cluster of rocks. A
couple paper bags and a megaphone. They're comparing guns.
FARRELL
Glock 40. All plastic save the barrel
and firing pin. Never rusts. What do
you carry down in Seattle?
Hap reaches into his holster. Pulls out a...
HAP
Smith and Wesson 45.
FARRELL
Excellent!
Fred Duggar's standing on the other side of them. He's got a
pair of binoculars, too. They're staking out the cabin.
Been there a while.
ELLIE (O.S.)
Brought some coffee...
Ellie appears with a thermos. Crouching down. Fred turns,
annoyed.
FRED
What are you doing here?
WILL
(answering for her)
I told her to come.
Fred shoots Will a look. Down at his cowboy boots. Will
gives him a smile.
ELLIE
Anything yet?
WILL FRED
Nothing. Nothing.
Fred goes back to scanning, pissed.
FARRELL
Maybe this guy doesn't read the papers.
HAP
Or goes straight to the Sports Section.
Hap and Farrell chuckle. Hap unscrews the thermos. A cloud
of steam.
HAP (cont'd)
Who gets first dibs?
(looks up at Will)
Will?
Will looks down at his partner. Holding out the thermos like
a weird kind of truce. Will turns away, rejecting it. A
swath of thick fog unfolds over the black rocks as...
Fred tenses.
FRED
(looking through binoculars)
I see someone!
Hap and Farrell scramble to their feet. Will whips up his
binoculars.
POV THROUGH WILL'S BINOCULARS - a FIGURE making its way to 
the cabin. Furtive.
WILL (O.S.)
That's him.
Will lowers the binoculars. Snaps his fingers at the men.
 
WILL (cont'd)
Fan out.
Fred, Farrell and Hap. Start spreading out. Ellie steps
up. Will looks back at her. Too dangerous.
WILL (cont'd)
Stay here, Ellie.
ELLIE
But...
Will puts up his hand. She stops short. He plunges ahead.
Hap. Will. Farrell. Fred. Fanning out. Silent. Keeping
eye-contact. Will points to Farrell. Wants the megaphone.
Farrell, balancing on a rock, holds it out. Accidentally
keys it. The feedback SQUAWKS. Fuck.
FRED
He's bolting!
POV THROUGH WILL'S BINOCULARS - the FIGURE, looking around,
running towards the cabin. Leaping from rock to rock.
WILL reaches for his Smith and Wesson.
WILL
Go! Go! Go!
The men jump into action. Race down towards the cabin.
Fred and Farrell, nimble over the wet rocks. Will and Hap,
harder going. Grab onto jagged edges, slip down small
crevices. Rocks sticking out every which way. The fog,
thick and white...
THE FIGURE disappears into the cabin.
FRED AND FARRELL leap up onto a tall boulder and jump down.
Run over to the door of the cabin, guns at the ready...
WILL rounds the boulder, Hap panting behind him. Joins Fred
and Farrell at the door.
Will levels his Smith and Wesson at the door, and with a nod
to Fred as he KICKS it in...
INT. FISHING CABIN - CONTINUOUS
...the door CRACKS and swings in. The men rush inside.
WILL
Police!
They look around: Nothing. A few old nets, a wooden table
rotted through. No knapsack.
In the corner, a TRAP DOOR, left open. Will races over.
Looks down into the darkness.
WILL (cont'd)
Goddammit!
Turns and points to Farrell.
WILL (cont'd)
You! Head back up to base...
(to Fred)
You! Go right and follow along the
water...
(to Hap)
Hap! You go left...
The men nod.
WILL (cont'd)
Go!
They rush out the door and split directions. Will crouches
down by the trap door and...
INT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS
...drops down into a dark, dank TUNNEL. Water dripping.
FOOTFALLS echoing. Will cocks his head. Left or right?
Starts sprinting down towards the lighter end of the tunnel,
his own footsteps bouncing against the tunnel walls. He
rounds a curve. Sound recedes...
EXT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS
...He exits the tunnel onto the rocky beach. Stops short.
FOG
has enveloped everything - obscuring all vision, dulling all
sound. Like a strange dream. Eerie.
Will blinks against the thick whiteness. Strains to hear any
sound, anything. There's only the distant LAPPING of the
water.
He tightens his grip on his gun and plunges into the fog.
Quick, careful steps. Stumbles over a rock. Waves his gun
in defense. Eyes wide open like a blind man...
SUDDENLY
a GUNSHOT. Off to the right. Will whips his head around.
EXT. UP ON THE BEACH - CONTINUOUS
 
Ellie, alone, jumps at the sound. Reaches for her weapon...
EXT. DOWN THE BEACH - CONTINUOUS
Will heads towards the sound. Reaching out for approaching
rocks. Scrambles over a small bank and finds...
FARRELL rolled up into a fetal position on the ground. 
Clutching his thigh. Blood seeping through his fingers. He
looks up.
FARRELL
Sorry about...
WILL
Where is he?
Farrell can't answer that.
WILL (cont'd)
(impatient)
Where'd the shot come from?
Farrell lifts his bloody hand. Points off towards the water.
FARRELL
Over there.
Will disappears back into the fog, leaving Farrell behind.
Clambers back down towards the water, pausing every few 
seconds to listen, to adjust. Heart POUNDING. Blood 
pumping. Like an animal tracking its prey. Leaps up onto a
plateau of rocks when...
SUDDENLY
a DARK FIGURE
flashes past him. The killer! Inches away. Will wheels
around...
WILL
Freeze!
CRACK! Squeezes off a shot. Misses! Can't believe it.
Goes for another... Nothing! Jammed! The figure,
disappearing. Will tosses his Smith and Wesson, reaches
behind his back and whips out his SMITH 39/13...
EXT. UP ON THE BEACH - CONTINUOUS
 
Ellie, weapon drawn, making her way down the rocks. A HAND
suddenly grabs her arm.
VOICE (O.S.)
Dammit, Ellie!...
Fred emerges from the fog.
FRED (cont'd)
Put that thing away! Farrell's down!...
CRACK! as another shot rips through the air. Fred and Ellie
freeze.
EXT. DOWN BY THE WATER - MINUTES LATER
Fred and Ellie, skittering down the rocks. Getting closer to
the water. Hear a voice ring out...
VOICE (O.S.)
Hap!
The fog starts to dissipate. They reach the water to see...
WILL DORMER
kneeling beside the body of his partner. Lying in the water.
Shot in the stomach. Blood dribbling from his mouth. Will
grabs him up by the collar.
WILL
Hap!
Starts shaking the limp body. Teeth clenched.
WILL (cont'd)
Hap!
Hap's head, rolls back. Mouth agape. Face white...
Will, rips off his tie. Presses it to the gaping wound...
trying to stop the bleeding...warm blood, pumping into the
water...
Ellie watches. Horrified. Fred races over to the body.
Feels for Hap's pulse.
FRED
Dormer...
Will, shaking Hap again. Jaw set. Eyes intense. Veins
popping up along his temples. Fred catches his shoulder.
FRED (cont'd)
Dormer! He's gone.
Will looks up at Fred. His face contorts.
Suddenly leaps to his feet. Grabs a rock and hurls it
savagely into the thick fog.
INT. CHIEF CHARLES NYBACK'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Chief Nyback sits in his chair. Fingers interlaced. A 
somber expression on his face.
CHIEF NYBACK
And then you lost him.
Will sits opposite him. Wet, dishevelled, dirty. Hap's
blood smeared all over his shirt. Staring off into space.
WILL
And then I lost him. In the fog.
CHIEF NYBACK
About how long 'til you heard the
suspect's second shot?
Will, hesitates.
WILL
Twenty, thirty seconds. I followed the
sound down to the water. That's where...
He blinks. Looks down. Swallows.
WILL (cont'd)
That's where I found Hap.
Nyback sighs, shakes his head. Reaches down to his bottom
drawer and pulls out a bottle of bourbon and a glass.
CHIEF NYBACK
I think you need a glass of this.
He goes to unscrew the bottle, but Will shakes his head.
Stands. Paces. Rakes his hand through his hair.
Turns suddenly and swipes his arm across Nyback's desk.
Everything CRASHES to the floor.
WILL
(yells)
Why didn't I know about that goddamn
tunnel, Charlie?
Nyback looks up at him. Calm.
CHIEF NYBACK
There's a bunch of those tunnels out
there, Will. From bunkers over sixty
years old. I don't even know half of
them myself, and I grew up here.
Will clenches his fists.
WILL
I had him, Charlie. Right in front of
me. Not two feet. I could smell the son-
of-a-bitch. Playing with me. And I
missed the shot. He was right there and
I missed the shot! Then my goddamned gun
jammed...
Nyback gets up. Limps over to his old friend.
CHIEF NYBACK
Will, you can't blame yourself.
WILL
I had him!
CHIEF NYBACK
It's only gonna make you crazy.
Just then there's a soft KNOCK on the door. The men look
over. Ellie sticks her head in. Speaks in a tone that
belies that a man has recently died.
ELLIE
You wanted to see me?
Will turns his back to her. Nyback heads over.
CHIEF NYBACK
Right, Ellie.
Ellie flicks a look at the pile on the floor. At Will's
back.
CHIEF NYBACK (cont'd)
I want you to take care of the
investigation into Detective Eckhart's
shooting.
Ellie looks at him. Confused. Lowers her voice.
ELLIE
But what about the Connell case? I'm on
the Connell case.
Nyback puts a hand on her shoulder.
CHIEF NYBACK
We need paperwork, Ellie. You know that.
Just write up a quick report.
Ellie's shoulders droop. Thought she was playing with the
big boys. Just then Will turns abruptly and grabs his coat.
WILL
I'm going to check on the roadblocks...
Nyback catches his arm.
CHIEF NYBACK
You're no good right now, Will. Go back
to the Lodge. Try to get some rest.
Will looks at him. Know's he's right.
EXT. ROAD - NIGHTMUTE - DAY
CLOSE ON a SQUEALING tire, ripping around a curve...
INT./EXT. SILVER JEEP CHEROKEE - CONTINUOUS
Will driving. Speeding. Scenery whipping past the window.
His hands, tight around the steering wheel. The hula-girl,
dancing beneath the rear view mirror, a smile plastered to
her face.
He grows suddenly pale. Pulls the Cherokee off to the side.
EXT. STREET - CONTINUOUS
Will jumps out of the Cherokee, leaving the door open. Runs
down an ALLEY behind a row of shops.
INT. ALLEY - CONTINUOUS
A couple industrial trash bins. Will leans his hand against
the wall and vomits. Hovers for a moment, saliva dripping
from his mouth. Braces himself. Heaves again. Hears a 
BUZZING behind him. Turns.
A DEAD DOG lying next to a dumpster. FLIES buzzing around
its head. Teeth bared. Eyes wide open.
Like it's watching him.
INT. PIONEER LODGE - LATER
Will walks up to reception. No one there. Just wants his
key. Rings the bell. In the back room, he hears a RADIO.
RADIO
...earlier this evening after an aborted
attempt to apprehend a suspect. He was
forty-five...
It clicks off abruptly. Rachel appears in the doorway.
Takes in the blood on Will's shirt.
RACHEL
I'm sorry about your partner.
Will looks at her. She walks over to the desk.
RACHEL (cont'd)
It's been on the radio for the last two
hours. Nothing but that. Like when they
found Kay Connell's body.
(sympathetic smile)
We're not used to this sort of thing up
here.
She reaches for his key.
RACHEL (cont'd)
He was standing right there just a couple
of days ago. Your partner. Exactly
where you are now.
(beat)
I hope I was nice to him.
Will takes his key.
WILL
You were nice to him. He liked you.
He smiles faintly, turns to go. Just then the phone RINGS.
RACHEL
(answering)
Pioneer Lodge?...
(listens)
Hold on a second. He's right here.
Will stops. Turns. Rachel holds up the phone. Covering the
mouthpiece.
RACHEL (cont'd)
John Warfield. He's called a couple of
times.
Will's stomach drops. That's the last phone call in the 
world he wants to take. Rachel reads his face.
RACHEL (cont'd)
Want me to lie?
Will shakes his head. Steps back and takes the phone.
Clears his throat.
WILL
(into phone)
Dormer.
PAUSE. A bemused VOICE on the other end.
WARFIELD'S VOICE
Detective Dormer. I've been trying to
reach you. I was very sorry to hear
about your partner, Detective Eckhart.
It must have been a terrible shock, what
happened this morning.
Will. Not giving this asshole an inch. Rachel, trying not
to listen.
WILL
(into phone)
That's not exactly how I'd put it.
WARFIELD'S VOICE (cont'd)
No, no. I suppose not. But I look
forward to reading the report. Very
sad. Very sad. Funny...
WILL
(into phone)
What do you mean, "Funny?"
WARFIELD'S VOICE
Oh, nothing. Just that I felt Detective
Eckhart and I, Hap and I, were starting
to make a real connection before you
left. I sensed that he was ready to get
some things off his chest. Did you
sense anything like that, Detective? I
mean, as his partner?...
Will, squeezing the phone cord with his bloody fist.
WARFIELD'S VOICE (cont'd)
...You were his partner for, what, about
ten years?...
Will turns from Rachel. Eyes burning. Voice steady.
WILL
(into phone)
You know why everyone hates you,
Warfield? It's not your questions, it's
not your press conferences, it's not even
your cheap suits; everyone hates you
'cause day after day you suck the marrow
out of real cops when you never had the
balls to become one yourself. Well I got
to tell you, it's a shame you're not up
here with me because I'd love to show you
right now just what a real cop is capable
of. You just remember that when you're
sitting at your bullshit desk reading
your bullshit report on my dead partner!
SLAM! He hangs up the phone. Runs his hand through his
hair. Turns back to Rachel.
WILL (cont'd)
Next time. Go ahead and lie.
EXT. ROCKY BEACH - OUTSIDE NIGHTMUTE - MORNING
Fog everywhere. Dense. White. Suffocating.
We're running through it. Clambering over rocks. Hearing
the sound of our own BREATHING. Our own HEARTBEAT.
Adrenaline pumping. An animal tracking its prey...
SUDDENLY a DARK FIGURE
flashes past. Just inches away. Playing with us. Taunting
us. We whip round with our weapon and...
INT. WILL'S ROOM - LATE NIGHT
BANG! Will bolts upright in bed. A film of sweat over his
body. Breathing hard. The sound that woke him: the window
shade FLAPPING open. LIGHT floods the room.
Will gets up. Goes over to the shade and pulls it down. It
lurches up halfway. He tugs it down again. It slaps all the
way open. Will yanks it down so hard it rips off the window.
WILL
Goddammit!
He gets tangled in it.
WILL (cont'd)
Goddamned...thing!
Pulls it off and flings it in the corner.
INT. WILL'S ROOM - 4:22 A.M.
The digital clock flips to a new minute: 4:23. Will,
pacing. Scratching at his stubble. Unable to sleep. Keeps
stepping on a SQUEAKY floorboard.
Slows near the ADJOINING DOOR that leads into Hap's room.
Hovers. Lightly pushes the door open. Sees...
THE PICTURES on the bedside table. A WOMAN and three teenage
GIRLS. Hap's family.
INT. BATHROOM - 5:18 A.M.
Water gushing out of the faucet. Will's WATCH sitting on the
sink's edge. 5:18.
Will reaches up into the open medicine cabinet for a bottle
of aspirin. Shakes out a couple. Cups his hand under the
water and knocks the pills back.
Closes the medicine cabinet and CRIES out...
HAP'S REFLECTION
looming behind him.
HAP
They're watching us, Will...
Will whirls around...
WILL
Hap!
...nothing. No one's there.
EXT. MAINSTREET - NIGHTMUTE - MORNING
CLOSE ON running shoes, POUNDING the tarmac. PULL BACK to
reveal Will running down Nightmute's main street. Eyes
bloodshot.
A COUPLE NATIVE ALASKANS walking into a hardware store. Stop
talking and glance over at him.
A YOUNG MOTHER in her husband's work shirt. Lifts her small
KIDS into the cab of a 4x4. Watches him pass.
AN OLDER MAN fixing the broken "E" on his store front. Turns
at the sound of Will's footfall.
Everyone edgy. Cautious. A murderer amongst them.
Will continues on. Looking straight ahead. Wipes the sweat
from his neck. Slows to a stop just outside the...
LOCAL CONVENIENCE STORE
A blown-up picture of KAY CONNELL in the window. Below, a
painted sign: We miss you, Kay.
A stack of newspapers by the front door. The "Nightmute
Ledger." The headline: Seattle Cop Killed by Suspect.
Will picks one up. Stares down at it. Rain starts to dot
the paper.
CHIEF NYBACK (O.S.)
...We're going to bring down a couple of
guys from Ridgemount, but I want us to
step up the investigation here...
INT. BULLPEN - NIGHTMUTE PD - CONTINUOUS
Rain hammering against the windows. Chief Nyback addresses
the bullpen. Everyone's there except Farrell.
CHIEF NYBACK
...Nightmute hasn't lost an officer in
thirty-seven years, and even though
Detective Eckhart wasn't from here, he
was as good as one of us on this case. I
had the honor of working with him down in
Seattle for a number of years. He was a
fine detective and an even better man.
Will stands nearby, watching the rain hit the windows. His
suit pants are slightly wrinkled. Nyback nods towards Fred.
CHIEF NYBACK (cont'd)
Fred, you'll be working with Detective
Dormer directly from now on.
Fred, stroking his moustache, nods. Nyback turns to Will.
CHIEF NYBACK (cont'd)
Will? Anything you'd like to add?
Will looks up. Everyone's eyes turn to him. He shakes his
head.
CHIEF NYBACK
Okay. Then let's get to it.
Feet shuffling. Chairs scraping the floor as people get up.
A sense of determination in the air. Will grabs his coat.
ELLIE (O.S.)
Detective Dormer?
He turns. Ellie is beside him, holding a map.
ELLIE (cont'd)
I'm sorry to bother you, but I was asked
to write the report on...
(lowers eyes)
...you know what I was asked to write the
report on...
(looks back up)
...Could you, just to be accurate, for
the report, could you just point out
where you were when you saw Detective
Eckhart yesterday?
She holds out the map. It's of the small stretch of
coastline. Red circles marking various points.
Will looks down at her. Takes the map. Turns it around.
WILL
It's good to be accurate, Ellie. You're
doing your job.
He looks down at the map. Ellie watching his face.
ELLIE
I'm so sorry about what happened. I know
you did everything you could...
Will points to a spot. Cutting her off.
WILL
I was here.
Hands her back the map. Smiles. Just then Fred walks up.
FRED
Dormer. Still no sign of the bullet that
went through Farrell.
WILL
I'm going to the hospital to talk to him
now.
(looks at his watch)
You get the search party together. No
fewer than thirty people. I'll meet you
in exactly twenty-five minutes. Don't
waste any time.
He pulls on his coat and heads for the door. Fred watches
him leave. Sticks a toothpick in his mouth.
FRED
Partner or no partner. That guy's a
prick.
ELLIE
He has to be a prick, Fred. He's a great
detective.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - ST. FRANCIS HOSPITAL - DAY
CLOSE ON the cover of one of the paperbacks, Otherwise
Engaged by Walter Byrd.
PULL BACK to reveal Farrell lying in a hospital bed in
striped pajamas, reading it. A tear runs down his cheek as
he turns the page.
A SNICKERS BAR is tossed onto his lap. He looks up. Face
brightens.
FARRELL
Detective Dormer!
Will stands by his bed. Farrell puts down the book. Picks
up the Snickers.
FARRELL (cont'd)
You don't seem like the bring-an-
underling-who's-in-the-hospital-a-
Snickers-bar kind of guy.
WILL
I'm not.
He pulls up a chair. Nods to the paperback.
WILL (cont'd)
How's the book?
Farrell bites into the candy bar.
FARRELL
Oh, a real tear-jerker. Brody, the good
guy, just got shot.
He stops chewing. Realises the association. Swallows
uncomfortably.
FARRELL (cont'd)
Oh. I'm sorry. About Hap. Detective
Eckhart.
WILL
Thanks.
FARRELL
I wish I'd had the chance to get to know
him better. Take him fishing or
something.
WILL
He would have liked that.
FARRELL
We just gotta catch the bastard, right?
WILL
That's why I'm here. I need to know
exactly what you saw yesterday, Farrell.
FARRELL
What I saw?
WILL
Anything. It's important.
Farrell takes another bite of the Snickers. Like a little
boy. Furrows his brow, trying to remember.
FARRELL
Pretty much nothing. That fog was so
thick. The bullet seemed to come out of
nowhere. I don't even remember seeing 
any shapes. Then I saw you. But only
when you came up close. Then you
disappeared again.
(shrugs)
I guess I heard more than I saw.
Will sighs, rubs his eyes.
FARRELL (cont'd)
Sorry.
WILL
No. No. Don't be sorry. It's not your
fault.
Just then a NURSE comes in with a Dixie cup. Pretty,
freckled face. Not much older than Kay Connell.
NURSE
Time for your meds.
Farrell smiles at her, winks at Will.
FARRELL
Lonnie and I went to high school
together.
Lonnie gives him the cup.
LONNIE
Just take the pills, Farrell.
WILL
How's the leg?
FARRELL
Oh, you know. Don't feel that much.
Bullet went right through.
WILL
Right. Got lost in the rocks.
FARRELL
We'll get the other one, though.
Will looks up. Farrell pops the rest of the Snickers in his
mouth.
FARRELL (cont'd)
After the autopsy.
INT. HALLWAY - HOSPITAL - LATER
Will walks down the hallway. Light pouring in from a set of
high windows. He looks tired. Set-upon.
POV of SOMEONE
WATCHING HIM. From a doorway. Not close, not far. A HAND
comes into view. Small. Bruised knuckles. Holds on to the
door jamb. Watches as...
Will suddenly stops. Skin prickling at the back of his neck.
Turns and looks around.
A MAN in a wheelchair.
 
A LITTLE GIRL tugging at her hospital gown.
A couple of NURSES laughing at check-in.
An empty doorway.
Nothing.
EXT. ROCKY BEACH - OUTSIDE NIGHTMUTE - MORNING
Back at the beach. We see nothing but fog. A VOICE comes
through.
ELLIE (O.S.)
...and it was at this point that Detective
Dormer headed towards the noise...
Ellie emerges from the fog. Carrying the map and talking
into a small tape recorder. She's climbing over the rocks,
wearing a windbreaker a couple sizes too big.
A UNIFORMED OFFICER follows, carrying a camera. She turns to
him.
ELLIE (cont'd)
Remember, Kepp, shoot everything...
(back to the tape recorder)
...wherein he discovered the wounded
Detective Farrell Brooks, having been
shot in the vastus externus of the upper
left thigh...
She climbs over the same bank Will Dormer climbed two
evenings before. Finds...
ANOTHER UNIFORMED OFFICER, hanging out and smoking.
ELLIE (cont'd)
Francis!
He looks up. Pimples on his chin.
FRANCIS
What?
ELLIE
You're supposed to be Farrell. Shot in
the thigh and writhing in pain.
FRANCIS
C'mon, Ellie. What's it matter?
ELLIE
Accuracy. That's what.
(points to the ground)
Now get down.
Francis looks up at her. Flicks his cigarette away and gets
down amongst the rocks. Holds his thigh like he was shot.
FRANCIS
Ow.
CLICK! Kepp takes the picture.
EXT. DOWN BY THE WATER - MINUTES LATER
Ellie sloshes through the water. Ankles getting cold.
Cheeks pink. But it doesn't matter. She's investigating.
ELLIE
(into tape recorder)
...shortly after hearing the second shot,
Detective Dormer continued through the
water until he spotted the body, lying
approximately fifteen feet away.
She stops. Looks at the map. At the spot Will pointed out.
Looks back up. Fog. Clicks off the recorder. Calls out.
ELLIE (cont'd)
You there, Rich?
A VOICE calls back. Someone pretending to be Hap.
VOICE (O.S.)
Yeah. And I'm freezing my nads off!
Ellie furrows her brow. Just then...
FRANCIS appears. Slips on a rock but catches his fall.
FRANCIS
Ellie! Think I found something!
EXT. ROAD NEAR BEACH - DAY
CLOSE ON a row of FEET. Mostly boots. Some more beat-up
than others. Inching forward along a road.
WILL (O.S.)
...Anything catches your eye, you put it
in a bag. Anything looks strange, you
put it in a bag...
PULL BACK to reveal a long line of PEOPLE stretched out
across the road about a mile up the beach. Some old, some
young. Linking arms and moving forward. Looking down. The
SEARCH PARTY.
Will, walking up and down behind the line. Talking through a
megaphone.
WILL (cont'd)
...Anything he may have dropped, moved,
kicked, or stepped on, you put in a bag.
Cigarette butts, gum wrappers, paper
clips, coins, buttons - nine times out of
ten a suspect leaves something behind...
VOICE (O.S.)
Detective?
Will turns. A couple burly GUYS with some BLOODHOUNDS.
BURLY GUY #1
Where do you want us?
Will points over to the woods on the other side of the road.
WILL
The woods. One group heading south, the
other heading north.
Nods to Fred who's standing nearby. He hands the guys two
radios.
 
FRED
Make sure they're set to channel 6...
Just then two young OFFICERS pull up in a squad car. Young
and apple-cheeked. The first one holding a piece of paper.
OFFICER #1
We did the interviews with all the nearby
houses like you asked.
WILL 
Anything?
OFFICER #1
(shakes his head)
Here's a list of who we talked to.
Hands the list to Will. He glances it.
WILL
Alright. Go back and set up some follow-
ups for this afternoon.
The Officers nod, put the car in reverse. Fred saunters
over. Nods towards the searchers.
FRED
You don't think they should start further
back?
Will shakes his head.
WILL
He had to have exited here. Over those
boulders. I saw him move, he's nimble.
Would have taken the hardest way out.
Fred shrugs, skeptical. Just then, his cell phone BLEATS.
He reaches for it.
FRED
(into phone)
Duggar...
Will looks back at the search team. Slow. Meticulous.
FRED (cont'd)
(into phone)
Where was it?
A local WOMAN. At the end of the line. Glances over her
shoulder. Looks at Will. Smiles. You'll help us catch him.
FRED (cont'd)
(into phone)
Okay. 
(slaps phone closed)
That was Ellie.
Will turns back to him.
FRED (cont'd)
They found Farrell's bullet. Says it
looks like a 357. After the autopsy Rich
can drive 'em both to the lab in
Anchorage. Have a murder weapon by
morning.
Fred crosses his arms. Sarcastic.
FRED (cont'd)
That is, if it's alright with you.
EXT. PIONEER LODGE - NIGHTMUTE - NIGHT
Thunder RUMBLING.
INT. PIONEER LODGE - NIGHTMUTE - NIGHT
Rachel winding an old grandfather clock with a key. Looks
about a hundred years old.
Will enters the lobby. Soaked through. Carrying an armload
of wet files. Rachel turns, sees him. Reaches over to an
umbrella stand. Hands him an umbrella.
RACHEL
Here. It's on the house.
Will takes it. Preoccupied.
WILL
Thanks.
He starts up the stairs. Notices Rachel straining to return
the key to the top of the clock. Backtracks to help her.
She gets it without his help.
RACHEL
I got it.
(smiles)
Don't know why I bother. It's been
broken for two years.
WILL
Habit.
Rachel looks at him. Can't figure this guy out. Remembers
something.
RACHEL (cont'd)
Oh. A man came by to see you earlier.
Said he was your new partner.
A TINGLE skips down Will's spine. He looks at her.
WILL
Fred Duggar?
RACHEL
No. He didn't say what his name was.
Only that you were expecting him.
WILL
I'm not expecting anyone.
RACHEL
That's not what he thinks.
WILL
What did he look like?
Rachel thinks for a second. Leaning against the clock.
RACHEL
Short. Dark hair. Not that memorable.
Will nods, rubs his forehead. Suddenly has a pounding
headache. Turns for the stairs. Hesitates.
WILL
I need to borrow something.
INT. WILL'S ROOM - NIGHT
CLOSE ON a nail. One THWACK of a hammer and it bites into
the wall. PULL BACK to reveal Will nailing the corner of a
blanket to one side of the window. An ad hoc curtain.
He finishes that side. Starts to stretch the blanket across
the window. Hesitates. Looks outside. To the left. To the
right. To see if anybody's out there. If anybody's
watching. Sees instead...
A LONE TUGBOAT chugging across the harbor. Pulling a huge
freighter. Will squeezes his eyes shut. Opens them again.
Pulls the blanket fully across the window.
INT. WILL'S ROOM - 1:05 A.M.
The FILES spread across the floor. Their edges buckled from
the rain. Dozens of pictures of Kay Connell. School
records. Private letters. Health files. Coroner's report.
Will. Pacing. Back and forth. Thinking. Over that same
SQUEAKY floorboard. The clock reads: 1:05.
INT. WILL'S ROOM - 2:20 A.M.
Will lying in bed. On top of the blanket. Wide awake.
Staring at the ADJOINING DOOR. Into Hap's room.
EXT. PIONEER LODGE - NIGHTMUTE - LATE NIGHT
Will, in a sweatshirt and coat, heads down the front steps of
the Pioneer Lodge. Jams his hands in his pockets. The walk
of an insomniac.
EXT. MAINSTREET - NIGHTMUTE - LATE NIGHT
Will walking down main street. In the middle of the road.
The dead of night. No cars. The sky a blinding white.
Hears some rowdy NOISE coming from a corner bar, beer lights
flickering. A WOMAN rides by on a bicycle. Birds SINGING.
 
Not day. Not night. Stuck somewhere in between. Like a
dream.
Turns down a side street. Passing more stores. Guns and
Ammo. Patty's Hair and Nails. General Store. Comes upon
 
THE ALLEY
where he vomited the day before. Stops. Sees the DEAD DOG,
still down at the end. Half obscured by the dumpster.
Will wavers, pale. Suddenly...
A HOMELESS MAN emerges from the shadows. Big. Wild-eyed.
Awakened from his sleep. Will, quickly backtracks to the
sidewalk. Spooked.
JUST THEN the CRACK! of bat hitting ball. He turns. In the 
distance. Nightmute Elementary School.
EXT. NIGHTMUTE ELEMENTARY - LATE NIGHT
A Little League game in full swing. The uniforms, a little
faded. The diamond, a little unkempt. A smattering of
SPECTATORS. Mostly dads with six-packs.
Will wanders over to the fence. Spots Ellie sitting alone on
the bottom bleacher.
CUT TO:
POV OF SOMEONE
WATCHING HIM. From afar. The SOUNDS of the game, delayed a
few seconds. Watches as Will crosses to the bleachers...
CUT BACK TO:
...and sits down next to Ellie. She turns, surprised.
ELLIE (cont'd)
Detective Dormer! What are you doing
here?
(looks at watch)
It's two-thirty in the morning.
Shouldn't you be asleep?
Will glances out at the game.
WILL
I could say the same thing about you.
ELLIE
Oh. We always have play-offs in the
middle of the night. It's the best time.
WILL
Who's playing?
ELLIE
The Puffins and the Hawks. We're in
extra innings. The Hawks have a really
good line-up this year.
She sips on a take-out coke. Looks back at the game. A
plump, redheaded GIRL comes up to bat. Blows a bubble.
ELLIE
That's my sister.
Will looks over just in time to see the girl swing and miss
by a mile. Ellie cups her hands around her mouth.
ELLIE (cont'd)
(calling out)
That's okay, Lib!
(to Will)
Usually she's better.
WILL
She your only sibling?
ELLIE
(nods)
Twelve years younger.
Libby takes another swing. Connects with the ball. Drops
the bat and runs to first. Ellie gives a sharp WHISTLE.
ELLIE (cont'd)
What about you? You have any siblings?
WILL
No.
(rubs his eyes)
Well. I had a brother. He died when I
was eleven.
Ellie, sits up...
ELLIE
Oh, I shouldn't have...
WILL
It's okay. Happened a long time ago. He
was killed in a fire. In New Mexico.
ELLIE
That must have been awful for you.
Will leans back. Stretching his legs. Remembering.
WILL
Not really. 
(slight smile)
I remember I was more embarrassed that he
had died. Embarrassed that it made me
different. So I didn't tell the other kids
at school what had happened. They'd ask 
me where he was, where he'd gone. And I'd
make up stories. He was visiting an aunt up
north, he'd broken his leg, he was in a 
Swiss boarding school. Stuff like that.
(shakes his head)
Nice kid, huh? Just kept making up more
and more lies...
Suddenly, he stops talking. Slowly sits up. Sensing 
something. Ellie, noticing the shift.
ELLIE
You okay?
The row of DADS behind them. Jump up and start CHEERING.
CUT TO:
POV OF THE PERSON
WATCHING WILL. Sees him sit up. Look around. That same
prickle at the back of his neck. A KID slides home just as...
CUT BACK TO:
...Will stands. Trying to shake the feeling.
WILL
I'm going back to the Lodge, Ellie.
Still need to go through some of Kay
Connell's school records.
ELLIE
(unsure)
Okay.
He turns to go, scanning the area. Ellie calls after him.
ELLIE (cont'd)
Try to get some sleep!
EXT. NIGHTMUTE MORGUE - EARLY MORNING
The Nightmute morgue. Next morning. A SQUAD CAR pulls up.
Francis gets out, whistling. Starts for the morgue's
entrance.
INT./EXT. JEEP CHEROKEE - EARLY MORNING
Will in the Cherokee. Dark circles under his eyes. Suit
jacket wrinkled. Pulls in next to Francis' squad car.
WILL
(calls out window)
Officer!...
Francis turns.
WILL 
I'll pick it up. You head back to the
station.
INT. HALLWAY - NIGHTMUTE MORGUE - EARLY MORNING
Will walking down a hallway. Fluorescent lights.
Cinderblock walls. On his cell phone.
WILL
(into phone)
Duggar - I'm at the coroner's now. I'll
be back in about twenty minutes...
Stops at an open doorway in time to see
 
THE CORONER pull a sheet over the cold, blue body of Hap
Eckhart.
Will's heart lurches. He grabs on to the door jamb. Wasn't
ready for that. The coroner looks up.
CORONER
Detective. Thought you were sending one
of your lackeys.
Will clears his throat. Closes his cell phone.
WILL
I thought it was better if I came. Under
the circumstances.
The coroner nods. Goes to wash her hands.
CORONER
It's different when you know them, isn't
it?
(nods to clipboard)
Just sign over there and she's all yours.
Shrugs off her lab coat. She's wearing a blue dress. Looks
like a piano teacher. Heads into an adjoining office.
Will. Alone. Steps into the room. The smell of
formaldehyde. Bloody instruments on a stainless steel tray.
Walks towards the clipboard, eyes flicking over to the shape
under the sheet when...
SUDDENLY Hap's HAND drops down. Thick fingers. Wedding
band.
Will jumps...
CORONER (O.S.)
Your partner didn't suffer much...
The coroner re-emerges from the office with a manila
envelope. Hap Eckhart written on it in black pen.
CORONER (cont'd)
Maybe for a minute or two.
Will rubs his face. Tries to focus on the clipboard. The
coroner holds out the envelope. Smiles.
CORONER (cont'd)
Just enough time to reflect.
WILL
Thanks, Doc.
He takes the envelope. The coroner peers up at him.
CORONER
You're looking a little green, Detective.
INT. BULLPEN - NIGHTMUTE PD - DAY
Fred Duggar, dialing the phone at his cluttered desk.
WILL (O.S.)
So where's the other bullets?
He looks up. Will standing before him, holding the manila
envelope.
INT. STORAGE ROOM - NIGHTMUTE PD - DAY
CLOSE on a key slipping into a padlock. Opens with a CLICK!
PULL BACK to reveal Fred and Will in a small storage room.
Standing in front of an army-green LOCKER. The evidence
locker. Room's stuffed with old files and boxes. MOOSE
ANTLERS hanging over a small window. Will glances up.
WILL
What's with all the moose antlers around
here?
Fred throws a look over his shoulder. Opens the locker.
FRED
Lots of moose.
INSIDE THE LOCKER - another manila envelope. The name on
this one: Farrell Brooks.
Fred reaches back for the other envelope. Will, hesitant to
give it to him. Feeling the bump of the bullet in the bottom
corner. Hands it over. Wipes his brow.
WILL
When's Rich coming?
Fred slides it in beside Farrell's. Closes the locker door.
FRED
I'll call him now.
WILL
First I need a copy of the key.
Fred turns, a twinkle in his eye.
FRED
This isn't Seattle, Detective. We don't
have copies.
(holds up key)
This is the only one.
Will looks at him. At the key. Plucks it from his hand.
Just then Nyback's SECRETARY appears in the doorway.
SECRETARY
Detective Dormer? Telephone.
INT. BULLPEN - NIGHTMUTE PD - DAY
The secretary hands Will the phone. Pulls something from
under the desk. A beat-up BOX. Will's name on it.
SECRETARY
This came for you earlier.
Will glances at it. Takes the phone. Rubs his eyes.
WILL
(into phone)
Dormer.
Nothing. Someone's there but they're not saying anything.
Will, too tired for this shit...
WILL (cont'd)
Goddammit, Warfield, if you're gonna
check up on me every...
Then...the VOICE. A MAN's voice. Not John Warfield's.
This voice is medium-ranged. Higher. Nose sounds stuffed.
MAN'S VOICE
I bet you haven't been getting much
sleep.
Will straightens. Something weird.
WILL
(into phone)
What?
A little TITTER on the other end.
MAN'S VOICE
You lower-48s. You think the white
nights are kind of neat. Then you can't
sleep for days. I've seen it happen
about a million times. But you can't
sleep for a different reason.
WILL
(into phone)
Who is this?
A PAUSE. Will loosens his tie.
WILL 
(into phone)
I said, who is this?
The voice. Dropping to a WHISPER.
MAN'S VOICE
I saw what really happened, Will...
Will, furrows his brow.
MAN'S VOICE
I saw you kill your partner. With your
back-up weapon. Out there on the beach.
I saw you shoot him dead...
CLOSE ON
Will Dormer's face.
As all the blood drains from it.
As all SOUND
fades around him.
As his heart
 
begins to POUND against his chest.
He falters, reaching out for the desk. To steady himself.
As if the floor's just dropped out beneath him. Eyes,
darting around the bullpen...
WILL
(sotto, into phone)
Now you listen to me...
MAN'S VOICE
Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. Oh,
and I saw you take my gun. My uncle's
old 357. I dropped it in the rocks.
But you can go ahead and keep that.
CHIEF NYBACK, exits his office. Looks at Will and smiles.
MAN'S VOICE (cont'd)
...I mean...
(beat)
...Now that we're partners.
CLICK. The line goes dead.
Will, throat constricted. Listening to the DIAL TONE.
Smiles back at Nyback. Turns. Slowly hangs up the phone.
White as a sheet. Trying to act normal. Trying to act calm.
SOUND returning to the bullpen, like nothing's different.
Looks over at
THE BOX
sitting on the edge of the secretary's desk. He reaches for
it. Carefully, rips the packing tape. Bends back a flap.
Inside, some dark blue material. An embroidered daisy.
 
Kay Connell's knapsack.
EXT. NIGHTMUTE POLICE DEPARTMENT - DAY
Will, heading for the Cherokee. Clutching the box. Face
pale, pace quick. Everything's different now.
ELLIE (O.S.)
Detective Dormer!
He closes his eyes. Now is not the time. Reaches the
Cherokee. Yanks open the driver's side door. Ellie catches
up with him. Out of breath.
ELLIE
You look like you're in a hurry. I just
wanted to ask you about these pictures.
She smiles, holds up some PHOTOGRAPHS. They're of the BEACH.
The ones Kepp took. Almost all fog.
ELLIE (cont'd)
I know they're not great quality, but
this is where you said you were when you
first saw Detective Eckhart, right?
Will. Barely glancing at them. Tosses the box into the car.
WILL
Right.
Gets in and closes the door. Puts his hand over the box.
Ellie comes up to the window.
ELLIE
But here's the thing. I retraced your
exact steps according to your statement.
You couldn't have seen Detective Eckhart
from there. I mean, not in that fog.
WILL
Then change it.
ELLIE
How much closer would you say you were?
WILL
I don't remember.
ELLIE
Five feet? Seven feet?
Will, about to seriously lose his shit. Looks at Ellie.
Eyes dark, distant.
WILL
Listen, Ellie. I don't have time for
this shit. Five feet, seven feet, twenty
feet. Put down whatever you want in your
report, alright?
He turns the ignition. Pulls out with a SQUEAL. Ellie
steps back, watching him drive away. More curious than
stung.
EXT. OUTSIDE NIGHTMUTE - DAY
The Cherokee. Parked off-road. A remote spot by the water.
The driver's side door, left open. The PING-PING-PING of the
interior BELL.
EXT. BREAKFRONT - DAY
Will Dormer, walking along a breakfront. Aimless. One foot
in front of the other. Staring out at nothing. The endless
sea. Waves CRASHING. Wind HOWLING. Seagulls SCREECHING.
Everything. Closing in on him...
He stumbles over a rock. Grabs his head in his hands.
Stunned. Guilty. Ashamed. Fucked.
He saw it. He saw it!
A WAVE, explodes nearby. Drenching him in sea spray.
Will turns, raking his hand across his face. Blinking. Eyes
stinging. Trying to focus. Trying to think this through...
Hears a dog BARKING in the distance.
Shakes his head. Looks at his watch.
Got to deal with the problem at hand.
INT. WILL'S ROOM - PIONEER LODGE - DAY
Will, bursts into his room at the Lodge. The shoulders of
his coat still wet with sea spray. Crosses to the area of
the floor where Kay Connell's files are still spread out.
Starts pressing the floorboards with the toe of his boot.
Testing. Testing. Until...he finds the one that SQUEAKS.
Gets down on his knees. Hesitates. Then jams his fingers in
around the loose board. Starts pulling it up. Face
reddening. Knuckles whitening. Slips his hand into the gap.
Pulls out a muddy 357 RUGER.
The killer's gun.
Will, stares down at it.
INT. ALLEY - DAY
Will, standing at the mouth of the ALLEY. Just like the
night before. Steps inside. Cautious. Eyes darting.
Peering into the shadows for the HOMELESS MAN...
Not there. Coast's clear. Heads for the dumpster at the end 
of the alley. Shoves it aside. Looks down at...
The DEAD DOG. Rancid. Rotting. Will gags. Holds a
handkerchief to his face. Waving away the flies.
Then. Pulls the 357 Ruger from his pocket. Shrugs his coat
off and wraps it around his hand and the gun. Looks away.
Fires a muffled SHOT into the dog's side. The body kicks.
Crouches down. Feels along the dog's ribs for the bullet's
point of entry. Finds it. Pulls out a PENKNIFE and extends
one of the blades. Cuts into the gash, fingers probing deep
for the lodged bullet. He finds it. Pulls it out.
Looks back at the dog. Takes a deep breath. Wipes his brow.
A little smear of the dog's blood left on his forehead.
Turns and pulls a bottle of RUBBING ALCOHOL from his pocket. 
Douses the bullet. Cleaning it. Glancing at his watch.
Running out of time...
EXT. NIGHTMUTE POLICE DEPARTMENT - DAY
The rear of the Nightmute PD building. Will, looking around,
heads briskly for the back door...
INT. HALLWAY - NIGHTMUTE PD - DAY
...steps into the HALLWAY leading towards the bullpen. Hears 
VOICES. Nearby. Ducks back. Waiting for them to fade.
Safe. Heads down towards the STORAGE ROOM. Glancing briefly
at the PICTURES hanging on the wall. Of old time POLICE
OFFICERS. Striking brave poses...
INT. STORAGE ROOM - NIGHTMUTE PD - DAY
The storage room. Hot. Stifling. The moose antlers LOOMING
over his shoulder. Will pulls the evidence locker key from 
his pocket. Unlocks the padlock. Swings the door open.
Pulls the Hap Eckhart envelope out. Throwing a look over his
shoulder. Opens it. Shakes out the bullet that was lodged
in Hap's spine. Then fishes a plastic bag from his pocket.
The bullet he shot into the dead dog. Drops that into the
envelope and reseals it. Hands shaking.
Something. Catches the corner of his eye. He turns.
HIS REFLECTION in the locker mirror. The blood smear still
on his forehead.
FRED (O.S.)
Dormer...
Will jumps. Quickly wipes the smear off and turns. Fred 
Duggar standing behind him. RICH by his side. Will clears
his throat, shoves Hap's envelope into Fred's hand. Then
Farrell's. Angry.
WILL
These should have gone out two hours ago.
SLAMS the locker door and brushes past him. Fred and Rich
exchange a glance.
EXT. CEMETERY - NIGHTMUTE - DAY
CLOSE ON a YOUNG GIRL's face. Dark hair held up in two
barrettes, wind tousling the curls. Reading from a piece of
paper. 
YOUNG GIRL
...And that's how I think Kay would want
us to remember her...
PULL BACK to reveal Kay Connell's funeral. PEOPLE standing
by the grave, most of them HIGH SCHOOLERS. The sky's a
brilliant blue. Red fireweeds blanket the hillside.
YOUNG GIRL (cont'd)
...Swimming, reading, hiking through the
Kebaughs...
FRED, ELLIE AND WILL
stand off to the side. Dressed in black. Fred looks like
he's never worn a tie before. Ellie holds a potted plant. A
gift for the bereaved.
YOUNG GIRL (cont'd)
...playing her flute, meeting at Darrow's
after school...
Will. Eyes bloodshot. Not really listening. Not really
paying attention. A thousand miles away. Tugs at his
collar. Feels tight.
YOUNG GIRL 
...And always, always with a smile on her
face.
The young girl looks up. Folds the paper closed. People
SNIFFLE. Mrs. Connell, reaches out to squeeze her arm.
Some CHILDREN. Start circulating with plastic buckets.
Filled with white carnations. Handing them out.
VOICE (O.S.)
Want one?
Will, startled, looks down. A LITTLE GIRL stands before him.
Curly hair. Glasses. Holding up a bucket. He shakes his
head. Looks back up at
THE MOURNERS lining up to place the carnations on Kay's
casket.
AN OLD MAN with a brass-tipped cane. Two GIRLS, look like
sisters, holding each other up. A MAN with a thick red
beard. A LITTLE BOY, about five, clutching a FLUTE tied with
a pink ribbon...
Will, looks away. Then. At the end of the line. Something
catches his eye.
RANDY STETZ
in tight jeans and a down vest. In front of him stands a 
GIRL with white-blonde hair.
From the torn pictures in Kay Connell's room.
Will, straightens at the sight of her.
Sees Randy surreptitiously caress her ass.
EXT. CEMETERY - LATER
The service is over. People are heading back to their cars.
Fred yanks off his tie. Looks at Ellie.
FRED
We should go say hello to Mrs. Connell.
He starts off. Ellie, looks back at Will.
WILL
You go ahead. I'll be there in a second.
Ellie nods. Catches up to Fred. Will turns his attention
back to RANDY AND THE GIRL. Over at the far end of the 
cemetery. Standing next to Randy's motorcycle.
EXT. AT THE EDGE OF THE FOREST - MINUTES LATER
Randy gets on his bike, strapping his helmet on. The girl's
about to get on behind him.
WILL (O.S.)
Why don't I give her a ride?
They look over. WILL walking towards them. The wind
whipping his jacket. His tie. Randy makes a face.
RANDY
Thought I smelled something.
WILL
Good to see you, too, Randy.
Will arrives at the bike. The girl, TANYA FRANCKE, looks at
him curiously. Her long white-blonde hair, her skin almost
translucent. Something sexy about her. Has the carnation
stuck in the buttonhole of her jean jacket.
TANYA
Who're you?
EXT. GRAVESITE - CONTINUOUS
Fred shakes Mrs. Connell's hand. Ellie waits. Looks over
and sees
 
WILL standing with Tanya and Randy.
Shifts the plant in her hands.
EXT. AT THE EDGE OF THE FOREST - CONTINUOUS
Will shows the gold shield on his belt.
RANDY
Fuckin' cop.
Randy kick starts the bike. It dies. He kicks it again.
Calls out over his shoulder.
RANDY
You coming or not?
INT. CHEROKEE - FOREST - DAY
Sunlight dappling through tall fir trees. Will drives.
Tanya sitting next to him. Her black skirt riding up.
Picking at the flaking polish on her nails.
 
TANYA
I never met anyone from Seattle before.
WILL
You're not missing much.
TANYA
What are you doing in this shit-hole
town?
Will, shifts. Looks over.
WILL
You were good friends with Kay Connell,
weren't you?
Tanya hesitates. Pulls a cigarette from her purse.
TANYA
I was her best friend.
WILL
Best friend?
TANYA
Since grade school.
WILL
That's a long time.
TANYA
We were like sisters. Knew everything
about each other.
WILL
Must be tough for you. What happened.
Tanya shrugs. Lights the cigarette. Takes a drag.
TANYA
Everybody says I'm holding up great,
considering. Don't even care if I go to
school. They're all worried I haven't
cried yet.
She stretches. Her midriff showing. Shifts her body towards
Will.
TANYA (cont'd)
But there's no law against not crying,
right?
WILL
What about Kay's other friends?
Tanya makes a face. Reaches out and taps the hula-girl.
TANYA
Do we have to talk about Kay? I don't
want to talk about her right now. Let's
just drive. Go somewhere.
Will looks over at her. She blows out a plume of smoke.
Smiles. Seductive.
WILL
You want me to take you somewhere?
TANYA
Long as it's fun.
She reaches out a sinewy arm. Starts massaging the back of
Will's neck.
TANYA (cont'd)
Young, impressionable girl left alone
with older, Seattle detective. Who knows
what we could get up to.
Will, impervious to the touch. Head, throbbing. Reaches for
the gear. His foot, pressing harder on the gas.
EXT. CHEROKEE - FOREST ROAD - CONTINUOUS
SCREECH! The Cherokee whips around a curve.
INT. CHEROKEE - CONTINUOUS
 
Tanya giggles. Likes the speed. Will, goes even faster.
EXT. CHEROKEE - CONTINUOUS
 
The Cherokee breaks free from the forest. Racing along a
coastal road. Water CRASHING against the rocks.
Up ahead, a LOGGING TRUCK coming the other way. The Cherokee
shifts lanes. Heading straight for the truck.
INT. CHEROKEE - CONTINUOUS
Tanya looks out at the truck. Still giggling.
WILL
How about this. You like this?
The truck BEEPS. Will goes faster. Tanya takes her hand
from Will's neck. Holds on to her seat.
EXT. CHEROKEE - CONTINUOUS
The gap's closing fast. The truck BEEPS again.
INT. CHEROKEE - CONTINUOUS
Tanya looks over at Will. Not giggling any more.
TANYA
Hey...
WILL
Thought you wanted something fun...
Will goes even faster...
EXT. CHEROKEE - COASTAL ROAD
The truck and the Cherokee. On a collision course. The
truck BEEPS wildly.
INT. CHEROKEE - CONTINUOUS
Tanya squirming in her seat. Not liking this any more.
TANYA
Move over!
Will staring dead ahead. Tensing his jaw. The TRUCK...
bearing down on them...
Tanya reaches for the wheel...Will pushes her hands away...
The TRUCK...a breath away...
TANYA (cont'd)
(screaming)
Move over, you crazy fuck!
EXT. CHEROKEE - COASTAL ROAD
The truck and the Cherokee...just feet from each other...at
the last moment...the Cherokee jerks out of the way...
EXT. ICICLE FISHING CANNERY - DAY
...SCREECHES to a stop near an old sign, Icicle Cannery.
Gravel flying. Will gets out. Slams his door. Rounds the 
car and opens Tanya's door. She's screaming at him.
TANYA
You crazy son-of-a-bitch! You could have
killed us!
Will reaches in and pulls her out of the car.
TANYA (cont'd)
Ow! You're hurting me!
Will pulls her up a steep hill of garbage and broken crates.
Pushes her down the other side. She stumbles.
TANYA (cont'd)
You want to tell me what the fuck this is
all about?
Will stands above her, on the hill. His face set like stone.
WILL
You and Kay were like sisters?
TANYA
That's what I said.
WILL
Told each other everything.
(heads down the hill)
That why your picture's torn up in the
top drawer of her bureau?
Tanya steps back.
WILL (cont'd)
Why her boyfriend's hand was clamped on 
your ass at her funeral?
He grabs her by the arm. Jerks it up. She CRIES out. Will
leans in.
WILL (cont'd)
You like games, little girl? Well how
about this one - you're standing right
where her naked body was found wrapped up
in a garbage bag.
Tanya's eyes grow wide. She looks around her. Disgusting,
rotten. A SEAGULL pecking at the body of a dead bird. She
tries to break away...
TANYA
No...
WILL
Who was Kay seeing besides Randy Stetz?
Tanya looks away.
WILL (cont'd)
Who gave her those dresses?
She struggles more. No good. Will's grip is like a vice.
WILL (cont'd)
I need a name.
TANYA
I don't know.
WILL
You don't know.
TANYA
She wouldn't tell me!
WILL
But you were such good friends...
Tanya, squirming. Angry.
TANYA
It was like some big fucking secret!
WILL
What was?
TANYA
She kept saying she was gonna get out of
here. Leave us all behind. That he was
going to take her!
WILL
Who?
TANYA
My arm!
WILL
Who?
TANYA
She used some stupid code name.
WILL
What was it?
TANYA
Brody...I don't know...
(crying)
...Something Brody!
Will straightens. He's heard that name before.
Suddenly Tanya jams her heel into his shoe. He CRIES out.
She breaks away from him. Runs up the hill. Turns. Tears
streaking her face. Throws the carnation to the ground.
TANYA (cont'd)
You happy now, you fucking bastard?
INT. BOOKSTORE - NIGHTMUTE - DAY
CLOSE ON a FINGER. Running along a row of book spines.
Brundt...Buckley...Buss...Buckham...Byrie...
PULL BACK to reveal will in Nightmute's small bookstore.
Still in his funeral clothes.
In the "Mystery!" section. Not finding what he wants. Then,
something catches his eye: A BARGAIN BIN at the end of the 
aisle. Will limps down to it. Avoides eye-contact with a
YOUNG WOMAN shelving "New Arrivals!"
Reaches into the bin. Rummages through some paperbacks.
Then he finds it: Otherwise Engaged by Walter Byrd.
Underneath the title, he finds what he's looking for:
Another J. Brody Mystery. Flips to the inside of the cover.
A BLURRY PICTURE of Walter Byrd. Head turned to the side.
Walter Byrd was born in Watson Lake, Canada. He graduated...
Will's eyes skip down to the bottom:
Mr. Byrd currently lives in Umkumiut, Alaska, with his two
labrador retrievers, Lucy and Desi.
Will looks up. Slaps the book closed.
INT./EXT. CHEROKEE - ROAD - DAY
Will drives, sipping take-out coffee. Trying to fight the 
stinging in his eyes. Passes a sign: Umkumiut, 30 miles.
EXT. TESORO ALASKA GAS STATION - UMKUMIUT - DAY
Will stands in a phone booth at the gas station. Flips
through the phone book. His finger tracing down the "B"s.
Finds it: Walter Byrd, 451 S. Diamond Tooth, Apt. B.
EXT. DIAMOND TOOTH ROAD - UMKUMIUT - DAY
Sky's become overcast. Will stands across the street from a
pale blue building. On the ground floor, a tackle store.
Above, looks like several apartment units.
He starts across.
INT. HALLWAY - APARTMENTS - DAY
Will heads down a narrow hallway. Tiled floor. Passes door
"A." Stops at the next one, "B." Knocks. Hears nothing but
the muted tv from apartment "A." Pulls out his gloves.
INT. WALTER BYRD'S APARTMENT - DAY
With a CLICK the door swings open. Will, gloves on, pockets
his credit card. Hears the CHING CHING of dog collars as
 
TWO LABRADOR RETRIEVERS stand at attention, GROWLING. Will's
prepared. Takes a bag of treats from his pocket.
WILL
Lucy. Desi.
The dogs break. Trot over to him. Wolf down the treats.
Will scans the place. Small, cheap. Matching sofa and easy
chair, corduroy upholstery. The walls, lined with old 1950s
movie posters. All second-rate detective movies: "Another
Shot in the Dark," "Lady Luck," "He wore a Black Hat."
Will walks across the room. Repulsed. The pathetic hovel of 
a killer. Looks into the
 
BEDROOM
Single bed. Books and magazines. A half-eaten tuna sandwich
on the bedside table. "NYPD BLUE" calendar on the wall.
It's quiet. He walks over to a large DESK by the window.
Scattered papers. Computer. Mini cassette recorder.
 
On the wall, hundreds of newspaper articles. Some yellowing,
some fresh. All about cops: "Officer Louis Saved My Life!"
"Shoot-out in Soho," "South Street Cop Takes Down Drug
Ring," "Seattle Cop Killed by Suspect..."
Will curls his lip. Starts looking through the papers on the
desk. Underneath a stack, he finds an 8x10 PHOTOGRAPH. It's
of Byrd, standing in front of a big, lakeside HOUSE. A RADIO
TOWER in the background. Walter Byrd's face is blurred,
turned to the side. The photo from the book bio.
Will takes it. Starts roughly opening drawers. A box of
animal crackers, a rubber band ball. Then, shoved in the
back of the top drawer, an APPOINTMENT BOOK. Will flips
through to today's date. Blank. Shoves the book into his
pocket. Slams the door closed.
 
Then reaches back for his Smith 39/13. Checks the magazine.
Slaps it back in place. He's ready.
SUDDENLY the phone RINGS. A beige rotary on the desk.
Plugged into an ancient answering machine. It RINGS again.
The answering machine WHIRS. Then BEEPS.
WALTER'S VOICE
Now you're mad at me.
Will freezes.
WALTER'S VOICE (cont'd)
...I spotted your car around the corner.
You must have been in a hurry. Put some
pieces together. Don't worry, I would
have done the same thing...
Will turns back to the window. Looking furiously...
WALTER'S VOICE (cont'd)
Anyway...
(blows nose)
...I'm not coming home. So you
shouldn't wait there all day. I mean,
they'll wonder about you at the station.
You should be careful about following
procedure, Will, especially now that...
Will lunges for the phone. Snatches it up just as CLICK! the
tape cuts off.
WILL
Goddammit!
Enraged, he PUNCHES the receiver through the wall.
INT. HALLWAY - APARTMENTS - DAY
Will exits the apartment. Cradling his hand. Looks down at
the tile floor. Scanning it for a broken tile. Finds one.
Bends down and plucks out a broken corner.
Places it carefully where the bottom of the door meets the
door jamb. Just then. His BEEPER goes off.
INT. BULLPEN - NIGHTMUTE PD - DAY
Will strides into the bullpen. Wounded hand in pocket.
Ellie hunts and pecks at a typewriter. Glances up.
Fred, over in the corner. SLAMS a drawer in the filing
cabinet. Turns.
FRED
Forget your pager?
WILL
What?
FRED
I beeped you over two hours ago.
Holds out a one-page report.
FRED (cont'd)
Got a fax from the lab. Murder weapon
was a 357 Ruger.
Will takes the report. Heads over to the coffee machine.
WILL
Good.
FRED
And something else that might interest 
you.
He reaches into his desk drawer and pulls out a book. Holds
it up. Otherwise Engaged. In hardback.
FRED (cont'd)
Remember this?
Will blinks.
WILL
No.
FRED
One of the paperbacks we found in Kay
Connell's knapsack.
Will pours himself a cup of coffee. Trying to keep the
stream steady. Ellie continues typing...CLACK...CLACK...
WILL
That's right.
FRED
Mrs. Connell found this copy in the 
house.
(opens it up)
It's signed. Personally.
WILL
So?
FRED
This is a local writer. Kay had all his
books. I think we should check it out.
CLACK...CLACK...CLACK...Will rubs his chin. Looks back at
the report. Judicious.
WILL
I don't think it'll lead anywhere.
The CLACKING stops. SILENCE. Will turns around. Ellie's
staring right at him - that isn't like him.
He turns back to Fred. Beat.
WILL (cont'd)
Well. If he's local. Give him a call.
The CLACKING resumes.
INT. STAIRWAY - DIAMOND TOOTH ROAD - UMKUMIUT - LATE NIGHT
A dark stairway. Late at night. Will, bathed in shadows.
Climbs to the top. Quietly, carefully. He heads down a
hallway. We recognise it. Back where Walter Byrd lives.
 
Will approaches apartment "B." Slowly pulls out his weapon.
Cocks it. Waits a beat then swings out in front of the door.
Ready to fight. Ready to confront. Looks down...
Tile corner's still there.
INT./EXT. CHEROKEE - UMKUMIUT - NEXT DAY
CLOSE ON Walter Byrd's APPOINTMENT BOOK laying open.
Scrawled in pencil: 8:30. Dr. Agee.
PULL BACK to reveal Will sitting in the parked Cherokee. The
appointment book on the passenger seat. Been there all night.
Insomnia. Taking its toll. His hair, no longer neatly
combed. His face, pale and unshaven. His eyes, dragged open
from fatigue. Looks like the whole world's pulling him down.
Staring down the street at a
 
BRICK BUILDING on the corner. A placard by the front door:
Dr. Florence Agee, D.D.S.
Will checks his watch. Rubs his eyes with the heels of his
hands. Suddenly. Something tells him to look up.
A MAN
in the distance, walking along the road. Towards Dr. Agee's.
He's in his forties. Short, shoulders sloped. Wears a 
beige, zip-up windbreaker, khakis, brown desert boots.
WALTER BYRD
has a bulky hearing aid in one ear. Is looking down at the
road. Glances up.
LOCKS EYES WITH WILL
Byrd, slows his pace.
Will, reaches for the door handle.
SUDDENLY
Byrd turns in the other direction, starts walking fast.
Will leaps out of the Cherokee and heads after him.
WALTER BYRD
his short legs pumping, spots a TOUR BUS across the road.
Veers over to it.
WILL
a runner's stride. Weaves through PEOPLE. Closing in on
Byrd. Sees his plan. Cuts across the road just as...
A PICK-UP
rounds the corner. THUMP! Broadsides him. Will's pitched
up and over the hood. Falls hard on the tarmac. Dazed for a
second. Blood, gushing from his forehead. Hears the PICK-UP
DOOR open...FEET running over to him.
WOMAN'S VOICE (O.S.)
Are you alright? You popped out from
nowhere!
More FEET running over.
MAN'S VOICE (O.S.)
He okay?
Will opens his eyes. Trying to focus. Looks up and sees, in
the distance...WALTER BYRD getting on the tour bus.
Will struggles to his feet. The OLD LADY who hit him,
wearing overalls. Reaches out.
OLD LADY
I don't think you should move.
Will stands, wavering. Flashes her his badge.
INT./EXT. PICK-UP
The old lady rips along in the truck. Will sits in the
passenger seat, a handkerchief to his forehead. It's soaked
with blood. The lady looks over.
OLD LADY
You sure you're okay?
WILL
I'm fine.
OLD LADY
Careful not to bleed on my interior.
Will looks over at her. Shifts in his seat. Ouch. Feels
like a couple cracked ribs. Peers out the windshield at the
TOUR BUS a few cars ahead of them.
EXT. WINDY ROAD - CONTINUOUS
AERIAL VIEW of the pick-up tailing the tour bus. A windy
coastal road. Beyond it, a blanket of endless evergreens.
EXT. FERRY STATION - OUTSIDE UMKUMIUT - DAY
A FERRY at the end of the pier. A small wooden booth for
selling tickets. Beautiful, sweeping snow-capped mountains
on the other side of the bay. Nothing else for miles around.
The pick-up pulls up next to the bus and a couple other cars.
Will jumps out. Scans the area for Byrd. Nothing. Then,
sees the last few PEOPLE boarding the ferry.
INT. FERRY - MINUTES LATER
Ferry's getting pitched around in the roiling water. Most
everyone is inside. TOURISTS with throw-away cameras,
backpacks, anoraks, CHILDREN. Some looking sea-sick in the
corner.
Will weaves through the crowd. Eyes darting, searching. The
ferry lurches to one side, the crowd sways, Will spots
WALTER BYRD standing by a window.
INT. WINDOW - FERRY
Walter holds on to the railing. Looking at the view, the sea
spray. Will comes up. Stands next to him. Cognizant of the
people around them.
WILL
Walter Byrd.
Walter continues looking out the window. That same stuffed-
nose voice.
WALTER
When I was seven my mother and
grandmother took me to Vancouver. We
were walking along the street one day
when these two men ran past and snatched
my grandmother's purse right from under
her arm. Right from under her arm. That
night a police officer came to our hotel 
room to ask us questions. Stood the
whole time.
The ferry pitches again. Will grabs on to the railing.
Looking down at this little man. Hate in his eyes.
WALTER (cont'd)
His uniform looked brand new. His shoes
and badge were polished, his billy club,
his belt buckle. All perfect. He was
like a soldier, but better.
Walter reaches up to blow his nose. Will's eyes look on in
disgust - his knuckles are still red and swollen. From
beating Kay Connell to death.
WALTER (cont'd) 
Made a huge impression on me. His
goodness. Gave me an instant respect for
the police. I tried to become a cop when
I left high school, but...
He points to his hearing-aid.
WALTER (cont'd)
Congenital problem.
The ferry's engine HUMS to a stop. Walter smiles.
WALTER (cont'd)
Oh. We're here.
EXT. GENDREAU GLACIER - DAY
Gendreau Glacier. Spilling down between two huge mountains.
Enormous in its whiteness, its coldness, its silent power.
Will and Walter walk up its face, away from the other
tourists. Walter leads the way. Hands in his pockets.
WALTER
You know this glacier moves a quarter of
an inch every day?
He points off to the horizon.
WALTER (cont'd)
And on a clear day you can see all the
way over to Newtok. There's a beautiful
aviary over there. We can go sometime.
Will's lip curls. Watching him.
WALTER (cont'd)
It's actually cool for this time of year.
Normally the temperature runs about...
SUDDENLY Will lunges at him. Walter's eyes widen in surprise
as he grabs him up by the collar. Nose to nose. Will barely
keeping control.
WILL
You think this is a nice meeting we're 
having here? Friendly? Two people
getting acquainted?
(jerks him harder)
You sick, coward, fuck. I get up every
morning of my life just to bring someone
like you down. Beating a seventeen year-
old girl to death. Washing her
afterwards, cleaning her. Make you feel
like a real man?
(tightens his grip)
Huh?
Walter flounders.
WILL (cont'd)
I outta end this right now. Take a rock
and smash your fucking skull in...
His jaws tense, nostrils flare. Walter, red-faced,
sputtering...
WALTER 
I stood right behind you...I saw you look
right into his eyes and shoot him...
Will clenches his teeth.
WALTER (cont'd)
...Seattle's great hero. Shooting his
own partner. I saw it all...
WILL
That was an accident! You hear me? I
didn't know it was him!
(shakes him hard)
I didn't know it was him!
Just then a SHRIEK. Will looks over
A COUPLE KIDS. Further down the glacier. Having a snowball
fight.
Will looks back at Walter. Has to take it easy. Shoves him
away in disgust. Walter falls down onto the snow. Dislodges 
his hearing aid.
Watches Will pace. Head throbbing. Ribs, screaming in pain.
WALTER
Then why lie about it?
Walter brushes the snow off the dislodged hearing aid. Puts
it back around his ear.
WALTER (cont'd)
I mean, I'm all for bending the truth.
That's what I do in my novels. It's my 
trade you might say. But why cover it
up?
Gets up. Brushes the snow from his butt. Checks something
in his pocket.
WALTER (cont'd)
You don't have to tell me if you don't
want to. I'm sure you have some reason.
Something noble. I have faith in that.
 
Looks down at the kids. Shakes his head.
WALTER (cont'd)
They should be bundled up better.
WILL
What's your game, Byrd?
Walter turns back to him.
WALTER
No game.
WILL
The phone call. The knapsack.
Walter shrugs.
WALTER
I figured we're partners on this one. I
mean, after what I saw...
Will stops short. Eyes burning. It's all he can do not to
throttle this weed.
WILL
Let's get one thing straight, Byrd. We are
partners on nothing.
Walter looks at him. Scratches his head.
WALTER
I research my novels. I know the 
procedures. You'd have cuffed me back at
the ferry. You'd have called for back-
up, read me my rights, and gotten a
search warrant for my apartment. You're
a well-respected detective. There's
no reason for you to be talking to me
right now...
He takes out a handkerchief. Blows his nose.
WALTER (cont'd)
...except that we could help each other.
Will stares at him.
WALTER (cont'd)
So. We're at an impasse.
Will runs his hands through his hair. Half-crazed. Heart
pounding. Turns to watch...
THE KIDS down the glacier. Making angels in the snow. Their
GIGGLES carried along by the wind.
Will, squeezes his eyes shut. Trapped. About to defy every
instinct in his body.
WILL
(sotto)
You're going to get a phone call.
Walter steps up, tapping his hearing aid.
WALTER
I'm sorry?
WILL
I said you're going to get a phone call.
WALTER 
(perks up)
Oh?
WILL
Kay Connell had a signed copy of one of
your books.
WALTER
Thought you might find that.
WILL
You're going to be brought in for
questioning.
Walter smiles. Pleased.
WALTER
Down at the station?
WILL
(hisses)
Yes down at the station.
Walter rubs his hands together. Thinking.
WALTER
Okay. Okay. Brought in for questioning.
Good. I can write this.
JUST THEN the ferry blows its HORN. Low and loud. Walter
looks down at it.
WALTER (cont'd)
Ferry's leaving.
He starts down. Will watches him pass, has no choice but to
follow. Walter, going over the details in his head.
WALTER (cont'd)
Something to divert...
Snaps his fingers. An idea.
WALTER (cont'd)
My gun. You still have my gun, right?
Will nods. Walter smiles. Spreads out his hands.
WALTER (cont'd)
Then that's the wild card. Every
detective story has a wild card.
WILL
What do you mean, "wild card?"
TOURISTS. Boarding the ferry.
WALTER
Next ferry's in forty-five minutes.
Walter heads over to the ramp. Will stops, grabbing his
side. A PANG through his ribs. Excruciating. Calls out to
Walter.
WILL
What do you mean "wild card?"
Walter looks back. Waves.
WALTER
You'll know. At the questioning.
Gives his ticket to the TICKET TAKER. Gets on. Walks back
to the stern. Looks out at Will. The HORN sounds again.
Walter, at the rail. Smiles. The ferry's engine, churning
up water. Starting forward just as...
Walter takes a MINI CASSETTE RECORDER from his pocket. Holds
it up for Will to see.
Will, on shore, sees it. A cold flash ripping through his 
body. That motherfucker. Bolts through some tourists
towards the ramp but...
A couple of GUYS are just pulling it in. The Ticket Taker,
grabs his arm.
TICKET TAKER
(to Will)
Full up.
Will, jerks his arm away. Stares off at the ferry. Walter
Byrd and his tape recorder. Receding into the distance.
INT. CONVENIENCE STORE - NIGHTMUTE - DAY
CLOSE ON a counter top. Stuff thrown down. Aspirin. Band-
aids. Gauze. Medical tape. First aid cream. Back pills.
Sleeping pills. Bottle of scotch.
PULL BACK to reveal Will standing at the counter in the
convenience store. His entire body aching. The CASHIER,
throws him a look.
WILL
I have a cold.
EXT. CONVENIENCE STORE - MINUTES LATER
Will exits the store. A bag under his arm. We Miss You, Kay
looming over his shoulder. Steps out onto the sidewalk and
sees...
ELLIE leaning against her truck. Waiting for him. Smiles.
ELLIE
Which way are you walking?
A tingle, all across Will's body. Christ. This girl's
everywhere! He hunches into his coat. Flicks up his collar.
Doesn't want her to see him fully. Nods down the road.
WILL
Back to the Lodge.
Ellie grabs her bag. Joins him. They start walking.
ELLIE
I needed to get your signature on
something.
She pulls a folder from her bag.
ELLIE (cont'd)
The report on Detective Eckhart. Chief
made me finish it this morning. Said it
was taking too long.
Will takes the file. Flips it open. The death of his
partner. Neatly typed. Neatly stapled. Pulls out a pen.
ELLIE (cont'd)
Aren't you going to read it?
WILL
I trust you.
He signs. Hands it back to her. She slips it into her bag.
ELLIE (cont'd)
Now I can help you with the Connell case. 
That writer's coming in tomorrow. Walter
Byrd.
A slight stutter in Will's step.
WILL
Duggar called him?
ELLIE
About an hour ago. Said he was more than
happy to cooperate.
Ellie looks over at Will as they cross the street. Studying
his face. His gait. Noticing the slight limp in his right
leg. The cut on his forehead.
ELLIE (cont'd)
You haven't been sleeping much, have you,
Detective Dormer?
They arrive at the stone steps of the Pioneer Lodge.
WILL
Not really.
ELLIE
Isn't that the difference between a good
cop and a bad cop? A good cop can't
sleep 'cause a piece of the puzzle's
missing. A bad cop can't sleep 'cause
his conscience won't let him.
(smiles)
You said that once, remember?
Will, finally looks at her.
WILL
No. But it sounds like something I
would've said.
Turns and starts up the steps.
WILL (cont'd)
See you tomorrow, Ellie.
Ellie, watches him for a second. Then calls out.
ELLIE
Oh! I forgot to tell you. The Puffins
won.
Will stops, turns to look back at her. Confused.
ELLIE (cont'd)
The baseball game. Our team...
Slings the bag over her shoulder.
ELLIE (cont'd)
...We won.
INT. WILL'S ROOM - PIONEER LODGE - LATE NIGHT
Clock flicks to 3:00 A.M. Will, pacing in his room. Shirt
off. Rib cage wrapped in a bandage. Looking through...
A STACK OF MESSAGES. All from John Warfield. He discards
them one by one. Can barely focus...
SUDDENLY the phone RINGS. He lunges for it.
WILL
(grabbing it)
Listen to me, you son-of-a-bitch...
Interrupted by a CLICK...
RECORDED VOICE
...I saw you look right into his eyes
and shoot him...
Walter Byrd's voice. Recorded from that afternoon.
RECORDED VOICE (cont'd)
...Seattle's great hero. Shooting his
own partner. I saw it all...
Will, hears his own voice...
RECORDED VOICE (cont'd)
That was an accident!...
WILL
Goddammit, Byrd!
Then, another clumsy CLICK. Walter Byrd gets on.
WALTER
You'd have done the same thing, Will. I
know you would...
He hangs up.
Will SLAMS down the receiver. Then again. And again. Yanks
the cord out of the wall and HURLS the phone across the room.
EXT. ROCKY BEACH - OUTSIDE NIGHTMUTE - MORNING
...The DARK FIGURE. Disappearing back into the fog. Closing
in around him like milky water...
We whip out our SMITH 39/13...plunge in after him...taking
chase...BREATHING hard...leaping from rock to rock...the FOG,
blanket thick...tightening around us...
Our feet. Hit water. Up to our ankles. Icy cold. We
run...sloshing through...when...
SUDDENLY
A DARK FIGURE. Appears ahead. Big and hulking...CRASHING
towards us...
We raise our weapon...quick as a flash...as the FIGURE
emerges...
And in a split second...
WE LOCK EYES WITH FIGURE's - his eyes, brown and gentle...
CRACK! We fire! The FIGURE grips his gut, falls into the
water.
Heart POUNDING. Adrenaline PUMPING. We slosh towards the
body. Something...catching our eye...
A 357 RUGER
lying in the rocks. Off to the side. We grab it. Turn back
to the body...
And stop cold.
That's when it hits us. That's when we realize...
INT. WILL'S ROOM - LATE NIGHT
Will bolts up. White as a sheet.
WILL
I didn't know!
His body, drenched in sweat. His breathing, quick and
ragged. Caught up in the twisted sheets of his bed. Looks
across the room and sees
HAP
sitting in the corner. Eating an apple with a penknife.
HAP
You sure about that, buddy?
He smiles. Sympathetic. Looks over at the window just as...
The BLANKET. Drops to the floor. 
LIGHT floods the room.
INT. WILL'S ROOM - 4:02 A.M.
With a GRUNT Will puts his back into it. Shoving the heavy
oak bureau towards the window. Sweat beading his face.
A...few...more...shoves. And the bureau finally stands in
front of the window. WIll stands back to take a look. Only
covers half of it.
WILL
Fuck!
INT. WILL'S ROOM - 4:35 A.M.
Red-faced, Will leans into the wooden armoire. Shimmying it 
towards the window...
CUT TO:
EXT. PIONEER LODGE - NIGHT
Ellie. Sitting in her truck. Parked behind the Pioneer
Lodge. Rubbbing her eyes. Sleepy. Looking up at
 
WILL'S WINDOW
concerned.
CUT BACK TO:
INT. WILL'S ROOM - 4:35 A.M.
With one last heave, Will gets the armoire to the window.
Light still shining through the cracks.
INT. WILL'S ROOM - 4:50 A.M.
Will shoving magazines, blankets, sheets, pillows. Anything.
To fill the cracks. To cover the light. His eyes. Like a
crazy man's...
SUDDENLY a knock on the door. Will turns.
RACHEL (O.S.)
Detective Dormer?
INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
Rachel standing out in the hallway. Will opens the door.
RACHEL
(startled by his appearance)
Will...I...
WILL
What is it?
RACHEL
There's a guy down the hall. Complaining
about the noise.
(beat)
Says he can't sleep.
Will gives a half-smile. Fucking irony. Heads back into...
INT. WILL'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS
...his room. Rachel follows. Looks around at the mess.
RACHEL
Are you alright?
Will grabs up a sweater.
WILL
I'm fine.
He heads back over to the window. Rachel now notices all the
stuff piled up. Softens her voice.
RACHEL
Did something happen?
Will. Cramming the sweater into a crack.
WILL
No.
Rachel walks up behind him. His cramming, more desperate.
More urgent.
RACHEL
Will...
He grabs a magazine.
WILL
The light. It keeps coming in...
Rachel reaches out. Catches his arm.
RACHEL
Will.
He stops. Looks down at her hand.
RACHEL (cont'd)
What happened?
Will suddenly realises what he's doing. Absurd. Pathetic. 
Pitiful. Slowly turns to face Rachel.
Her eyes, looking up at him. His shoulders droop.
Exhausted. Rachel reaches up. Catches him in her arms.
Strong arms. Caring. Will buries his face in her neck.
Wants to be swallowed up.
Rachel holds him. Arms encircling. Will breathes her in.
Sweet, soft, safe.
Looks up. His mouth suddenly finding hers. A kiss, hungry,
urgent. His arms move to surround her.
INT. WILL'S ROOM - LATER
Will and Rachel in bed. Spooning. Rachel behind will, her
finger tracing his scar. Rain DRUMS against the window.
Will. Watching the raindrops streaming down the glass.
Casting strange shadows against the wall.
WILL
There was this guy named Weston Dobbs.
Twenty-four. Worked as a part-time stock
boy in a copy store. Every morning he'd
sit at the only window in his apartment
and watch an eight year-old boy get
picked up by his carpool across the
street. And every afternoon he'd watch
the boy get dropped off again. He did
this for about six months. Until one day
he got up the nerve to cross the street
and grab the boy before his carpool came.
Kept him in his apartment for three days.
Tortured him. Raped him. Made him do
things...
Will tenses his jaw. Rachel, listens in horror.
WILL (cont'd)
When he was done, he got a rope and a
kitchen stool and hanged the boy in the
basement of the apartment building. But
he didn't do a good enough job. The
little boy's neck didn't break and he
died from shock. The landlord found him
five days later.
Rachel reaches for Will's hand. Squeezes it.
RACHEL
One of your cases?
WILL
Me and Hap. A year and a half ago. I
knew the second I met Dobbs that he was
guilty. Smug, cold. Dead eyes. We had
circumstantial evidence, but nothing to
tie him to it. Nothing concrete. Went
over every inch of that apartment.
He pauses.
RACHEL
What happened?
Will turns slowly over to face her. Her hair, splayed out on
the pillow. Her cheeks, flushed. Her eyes, listening.
WILL
We took some blood samples from the boy's
body and planted them in his apartment.
(beat)
Arrested him the next day.
Rachel looks at him. Goose pimples on her arms. Realising
the weight of the confession.
RACHEL
Will.
WILL
There've been other cases. Where we've
changed results. Pushed witnesses.
Manipulated evidence.
(rubs his face)
But Dobbs. I wanted Dobbs more than
anything.
He sits up. Abrupt. Wincing from the pain in his ribs.
Rests his arms on his knees.
RACHEL
What if someone finds out?
WILL
We're under investigation now. Back in
Seattle.
(beat)
Hap wanted to talk. As soon as we got
back. Thought he could work out some
kind of deal.
Rachel rubs his shoulder.
RACHEL
Well, that's not going to happen now.
Will closes his eyes. The rain, PATTERING. Rhythmic.
WILL
Do you think it was wrong? What we did?
There's a PAUSE. Rachel, studying Will's back. The cuts.
The bruises. Not sure how to answer.
RACHEL
There are two kinds of people in Alaska. 
Those who were born here and those who've
come here to escape something in their
lives.
(beat)
I wasn't born here, Will. I'm in no
position to judge anyone. I'm not about
that any more.
Looks out the window.
RACHEL (cont'd)
It's all about what you're willing to
live with.
INT. WILL'S ROOM - MORNING
The clock reads 6:00. Will pulls on his trousers. Goes to
strap on his Smith 39/13 holster. Grimaces with pain. Looks
at his back in the full-length mirror. BLACK BRUISES seeping
out from under his bandage.
Puts the 39/13 and holster in the top drawer of the bureau.
Turns and looks down at Rachel. Sleeping soundly.
FRED (O.S.)
You were acquainted with the deceased,
Kay Connell?
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Will in the interrogation room. Standing by the window.
Tensed jaw.
WALTER (O.S.)
Yes I was.
WALTER BYRD
sits at the table. Hair combed, wet. Shirt newly starched.
A Styrofoam cup of coffee in front of him. Playing the part.
Fred sits opposite him. Report file open. Ellie, next to
Fred. Taking notes. She's combed her hair, too.
FRED
In what manner?
Walter smiles modestly. Looks over at Ellie.
WALTER
She was, not quite a "fan." More an avid
reader of my detective novels.
ELLIE
When did you first meet her?
Fred shoots Ellie a look. She closes her mouth.
WALTER
A year ago. At one of my signings.
Ellie hands Fred the hardback of Otherwise Engaged. He holds
it up. Opened to the signature.
FRED
Where you signed this?
WALTER
That's right.
FRED
What happened at that signing?
WALTER
She flattered me about my writing. Asked
if she could visit me. To talk about my
books.
FRED
Did she?
WALTER
Yes. Not that much at first. But then
she became more comfortable. Started 
visiting me every week...
Will, from over by the window. Interrupts.
WILL
What was the nature of your relationship?
Walter looks over. Wide-eyed.
WALTER
What do you mean, Detective Dormer?
Will turns. Accusatory.
WILL
She was an attractive girl. Did you have
sex with her?
Walter blinks.
WALTER
She was only seventeen.
WILL
But she was an attractive girl.
 
WALTER
I suppose.
WILL
Did you have sex with her?
Fred shoots Will a look. Ellie, watching him.
WALTER
No.
WILL
But you wanted to.
WALTER
I was a mentor to her.
Will heads over to Walter's chair. Fists clenched in his
pockets.
WILL
You gave her gifts.
WALTER
Yes.
WILL
Expensive dresses. A heart necklace.
WALTER
Yes.
WILL
Doesn't sound like a mentor to me.
WALTER
I gave her things she didn't have.
Couldn't have.
He turns to Fred and Ellie.
WALTER (cont'd)
Her family lives on Mr. Connell's
disability. It isn't much.
Fred stops Will with a look. Had enough.
FRED
We understand, Mr. Byrd.
(to Will)
You want to sit down, Detective?
Tense BEAT. Will stares at Walter. Revulsion. Heads back
over to the window.
WALTER
She wasn't happy. I was someone to talk
to.
FRED
How do you mean?
WALTER
That boyfriend. Randy.
Fred, sits up.
FRED
Randy Stetz?
WALTER
That's right.
WILL
What about him?
WALTER
He. Well, he...
Walter hesitates. Takes a sip of coffee.
WALTER (cont'd)
I don't want to talk out of school. Kay
told me things in the strictest of
confidence. As a friend.
FRED
Mr. Byrd. Anything you can tell us could
help out with this case.
Walter furrows his brow. Taps his hearing aid.
WALTER
Well. He hit her.
Ellie's eyes widen. Fred glances at Will. But Will's too
busy watching this little man weave his web.
FRED
Are you sure about that?
WALTER
She'd come to me, sometimes in the middle
of the night. Bruises all over her back,
her upper arms. I pled with her to let
me call the police, but she wouldn't hear
it. Wanted to keep it a secret.
ELLIE
Randy Stetz beat Kay Connell?
FRED
(angry)
Ellie.
Walter looks right at her.
WALTER
He has a terrible rage. Kay even said he
carried a handgun around with him.
Fred stands. This is big. Calls out the door.
FRED
Margaret! Get Judge Biggs on the phone!
(to Will)
I'll get another warrant for Stetz's
place.
Walter takes a sip of his coffee. Cup's empty. Holds it out
to Ellie. Smiles.
WALTER
Could I have some more coffee, Detective
Burr?
Ellie nods, takes the cup. Heads over to the coffee machine.
Fred turns back to the door...
AND AT THAT MOMENT Walter levels a look right at Will.
Mouths the words Wild Card.
A shiver down Will's spine. Wild card. The gun. Randy.
ELLIE
over at the coffee machine. Pouring coffee. Glances up at
the window. Catches the reflection of the two men.
An intense look between them.
EXT. ROCKY BEACH - OUTSIDE NIGHTMUTE - DAY
CLOSE ON a BOOT. Jumping down onto a black rock.
PULL BACK to reveal Ellie walking out on the beach. Heading
down towards the water. Thinking.
INT. RANDY STETZ'S ROOM - NIGHTMUTE - DAY
A dark, narrow boarding room. A HAND reaches through an open
window. Feels for the lock on the door. CLICK.
Will enters Randy Stetz's place. Cigarette butts, electric
guitar, Hustler centerfolds tacked on the walls.
He looks around. Every inch of him revolting against what
he's about to do.
EXT. ROCKY BEACH - CONTINUOUS
The sound of waves. A slight breeze. Ellie walking along
the water.
Looking down. Brow furrowed. Stops and puts her hands on
her hips.
INT. RANDY STETZ'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Will heads over to a hanging sheet on the other side of the
room. Pulls it aside. A MOTORBIKE being repaired. Parts
and tools all over the place.
Pulls the 357 Ruger from his pocket with a handkerchief.
Spots a COFFEE CAN on a shelf. Filled with thick oil.
EXT. ROCKY BEACH - CONTINUOUS
Something catches Ellie's eye. GLINTING from between the
rocks. She bends down. Pulls a pencil from her backpack.
Spears something and holds it up.
A SHELL CASING.
INT. RANDY STETZ'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS
 
Will, drops the 357 into the oil. Turns and heads back
across the room. Hesitates. At the door. Turns back.
Looking at the oil can. Takes a step back towards it when he
hears...
The sound of a SQUAD CAR. Pulling up outside.
Too late.
EXT. RANDY STETZ'S ROOM - LATER
Will stands just outside the doorway into Randy's room.
UNIFORMED OFFICERS inside searching the place. Tearing down
pictures. Turning out doors. Ripping up carpet. Randy's
voice. In protest.
RANDY (O.S.)
You can't fucking do this!
Will hears some SCUFFLING. The sheet being pulled down. The
CLATTER of tools.
RANDY (O.S.)
Hey! I'm working on that!
Parts pulled off the shelves. The bike, shoved to the side.
Then. A SILENCE. Followed by...
OFFICER (O.S.)
Found something.
Will shuts his eyes. Heavy FOOTSTEPS head over to the bike.
Someone's pulled the gun from the can.
RANDY (O.S.)
What the fuck is that!
Fred's voice, calm.
FRED (O.S.)
That's it. Let's bag it.
More FOOTSTEPS. Randy, desperate.
RANDY (O.S.)
That's not mine, man! That's not mine!
Will opens his eyes. Fred's voice. Almost sympathetic.
FRED (O.S.)
Randy...
RANDY (O.S.)
No way, man!
More SCUFFLING. A chair knocked over. Something SMASHES.
Will looks down at the floor as
FRED AND A UNIFORMED COP struggle to drag Randy through the
doorway. Randy writhes, kicks, tugs. Screams.
RANDY (cont'd)
That ain't mine!
Fred grabs Randy's shoulder.
FRED
C'mon, Randy.
Randy squirms. Turns. Looks right into Will's eyes. Gone
is the bluster. Gone is the attitude. Randy Stetz, lost
kid. Tears streaming down his face.
RANDY
I swear to God. I didn't kill her. I 
swear to God...
EXT. GARAGE APARTMENT - DAY
Will stands outside the garage apartment. Wind whipping his
coat. Watches as a Nightmute PD SQUAD CAR pulls off with
Randy Stetz in the back.
Fred sees him, heads over.
FRED
You look like shit, cowboy.
Will shifts his eyes to him.
WILL
That's an understatement.
Fred half-smiles. Watches the receding squad car.
FRED
Looks like we can wrap this one up.
Will barely nods. Fred pulls his baseball cap on.
FRED (cont'd)
We're getting together for a couple of
beers later on. Might not be the Seattle
thing to do. But you're welcome to come.
Fred puts out his hand to shake. Truce. Will looks at him.
Takes it.
INT. SHANTY BAR - NIGHTMUTE - NIGHT
CLOSE ON a tray of dark beer. Five glasses, foam sloshing.
FARRELL (O.S.)
I can't believe it. Randy Stetz.
PULL BACK to reveal Farrell, Rich, Francis, and Will sitting
at a small, round table. Fred's passing out the beers. Dive
bar. MUSIC blaring. 3 a.m. Happy Hour! banner on the wall.
Place packed with rough-looking FISHERMEN.
Rich takes a glass from Fred.
RICH
What do you mean, you can't believe it?
FRANCIS
He was an asshole.
FARRELL
That doesn't mean anything.
Fred sits. Takes a sip of his beer. To Farrell.
FRED
Didn't you grow up with him?
Farrell shifts in his seat.
FARRELL
Our dads were on the same boat.
(to Will)
We used to wait for them together.
Will nods. Jostled by the crowd. Reaches for his beer.
FRANCIS
He used to pick fights at the gas
station.
RICH
And remember when he did all those donut
holes that one summer?
He and Francis GUFFAW.
FRED
Just a bad seed.
Farrell looks over at Will.
FARRELL
How do you like our beer?
Will slams down his empty glass. Squeezes his eyes open and
shut. Loud music. Cigarette smoke.
WILL
I like it fine.
Fred pats Will's shoulder.
FRED
What Detective Dormer needs is a little
shut-eye.
RICH
The white nights been hard on you?
WILL
They haven't been easy.
Francis grabs a handful of peanuts.
FRANCIS
They don't have titanium shades over at
the Pioneer.
RICH
Well no wonder.
FRANCIS
You lose all sense of time.
FARRELL
Better than Fred's home town.
Will turns to Fred. Wiping the foam from his moustache.
FRED
My people are from Barrow. Way up north.
RICH
In the winter there's no sunlight for
five straight months.
FRED
Like being swallowed up in a black hole.
JUST THEN.
ELLIE (O.S.)
Hi, guys.
They look up. Ellie standing by their table. Jeans, down
vest. Hair tousled.
FRED
Nancy Drew! Pull up a seat!
FRANCIS
You hear what happened, Ellie?
ELLIE
Yeah.
RICH
Pretty cool.
FARRELL
Rich found the gun.
ELLIE
I know. I heard.
Fred leans back in his seat. Eyeballs Ellie.
FRED
Something's on Nancy's mind.
Ellie reaches into her vest pocket. Pulls out a Ziploc with
the SHELL CASING inside.
ELLIE
I found this out on the beach.
FARRELL
What is it?
ELLIE
Shell casing. 9mm.
Will, blanches.
FRANCIS
Let it go, Ell. We got the bad guy.
ELLIE
None of us carries a 9mm duty weapon.
And the murder weapon was a 357.
Rich throws peanut shells at her.
RICH
Get a hobby, will ya?
Ellie brushes off the shells. Looks right at Will.
ELLIE
It's a legitimate point, isn't it,
Detective Dormer?
Everyone turns to Will. Their faces, spinning. He nods.
WILL
It's legitimate.
ELLIE
Worth pursuing?
He looks up. Holds her gaze. Then turns away. Grabs the
side of the table.
WILL
The case is closed, Ellie.
(gets up)
I got the next round.
The guys don't protest. Will starts heading for the bar.
Weaving through broad shoulders, massive backs. Smoke.
MUSIC. Laughter. Arguing. A mass of bodies and sound.
Like being swallowed up in a black hole...
Looks back at the table.
 
Ellie, watching him.
EXT. ELLIE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Ellie's truck pulls up in front of a small house. She jumps
out. 
INT. FRONT HALLWAY - HOUSE - NIGHT
SLAM! Ellie heads through the front door like a gust of
wind. Thunders up the stairs. Calls out.
ELLIE
Me, Pop!
We hear the TV in the other room. An older MAN, Ellie's
father, appears in the doorway. Thick glasses, grey stubble,
big paunch. Wearing a flannel robe.
ELLIE'S DAD
Ellie? You okay?
Ellie appears at the top of the stairs.
ELLIE
Where's all my academy stuff?
INT. BASEMENT
Pitch black, then, CLICK! as a bare lightbulb's switched on.
Ellie stands beneath it. Piles of crap everywhere.
She steps through the quagmire of old bikes, fans, auto
parts. Over to a stack of cardboard BOXES in the corner.
She nudges through them, reading the writing on the tops. In
thick black pen. Shoves a couple aside.
Then. Finds what she's looking for. Pulls down a box
marked: Ellie Acad. Tears it open.
INSIDE - piles of papers, polaroids of her and her FRIENDS,
schedules, syllabi, handbooks. Stuff from her Academy year.
At the bottom, a report. The title: "Securing the Crime
Scene," the Leland Street Murders. By Eleanor P. Burr.
Ellie pulls it out. Sits down on an old stool. Opens to the
middle of the report. Her finger, tracing down the 
typewritten page. Flips to the next page. Then the next.
The next. Then. She spots it.
THREE-QUARTERS DOWN THE PAGE, her finger finds the
sentence:...Detective Dormer's unregistered Smith and Wesson
model 39/13 9mm, to immobilize Langley...
Ellie looks up. Chews her bottom lip.
EXT. MARINERS MEMORIAL - OUTSIDE NIGHTMUTE - DAY
CLOSE ON a huge wave CRASHING against a retaining wall.
Spray flying.
PULL BACK to reveal a small monument by the sea. A stone
cupola with a bronze statue underneath. The sky, black with
clouds.
INT. MARINER'S MEMORIAL - CONTINUOUS
Walter Byrd waits under the Mariner's Memorial. Wind
whipping his jacket, the green sea churning behind him. Next
to a fifteen-foot statue of a SEAMAN, tall, rugged, tough.
Holding on to a thick coil of rope.
Hunches against the wind. Watches as...
 
WILL approaches the monument. Sonics sweatshirt, wrinkled
coat. Face drawn and haggard. Angry.
WALTER
(smiles)
Hi, Will...
Will enters the monument.
WILL
What the hell are you doing calling me at 
the station?
A gust of wind WHORLS through the monument.
WALTER
I figured we should touch base. Compare
notes. I think it went well. What did
you think?
Will's eyes pierce into him.
WILL
Randy Stetz is in jail.
WALTER
Told you I could write an ending.
WILL
Congratulations.
Will holds out his hand.
WILL (cont'd)
The tape.
Walter looks at the open hand. Hugs his jacket to him.
WALTER
I thought maybe we could talk some more.
WILL
There's nothing more to talk about.
WALTER
But we work so well together...
Will breaks. Rushes Walter. Slams him against one of the
concrete pilasters.
WILL
We do nothing well together.
(SLAMS him again)
Nothing! You understand me?
Another wave CRASHES. Sprays them. Walter looks up into
Will's bloodshot eyes.
WALTER
You run on two settings, Will. I've 
noticed that...
Will tightens his grip.
WALTER (cont'd)
You jump from calm to rage in the blink
of an eye. That's okay. I do that too.
He holds up the tape. Will grabs it, shoves Walter to the
side. Yanks the tape out of the cassette. Steps back and
HURLS it into the sea. Waves engulf it hungrily.
Walter watches him.
WALTER (cont'd)
You're not sleeping, are you?
WILL
What the hell do you know?
WALTER
Kay told me. She comes to me, you know. 
Tells me things. About you. About me.
PAUSE.
WALTER (cont'd)
Does Detective Eckhart come to you?
Will curls his fists.
WALTER (cont'd)
Does he ask you why you shot him?
Whips around...
WILL 
I told you that was an accident!
WALTER
Then so was mine...
WILL
Don't you pull that shit with me.
WALTER
I didn't want to kill her, Will.
Steps closer to him. Beseeching.
WALTER (cont'd)
When she called me that night from the
party, she'd had a fight with Randy.
Wanted to talk. I told her to meet me at
our special place. The cabin at the
beach...
A couple RAVENS alight nearby. Flapping their wings.
SCREECHING into the wind.
WALTER (cont'd)
...When she came she was barefoot. And
there was liquor on her breath. I only
wanted to comfort her. To touch her.
She could have at least let me do that.
Her skin...it was like everything I'd
ever written about.
A dark shadow crosses his face. Holds on to the coiled rope
of the statue. Will hisses.
WILL
Couldn't get it up, Walter?
WALTER
It was when I went to kiss her. She
started laughing. I got angry. After
all I'd given her. All I'd shared with
her. I just wanted to make her stop.
That's all.
Walter. Squeezing the bronze rope.
WALTER (cont'd)
From calm to rage in the blink of an eye.
Locks eyes with Will. Conspiratorial.
WALTER (cont'd)
Remember?
WILL'S HAND shoots out. Clamps around Walter's neck.
WILL
Like this?
Walter's face, starts turning red.
WALTER
Yes. Like that.
WILL
This an accident, Walter?
WALTER
If you want it to be...
Will looks deep into Walter's eyes. Squeezing harder. Pure
hatred.
WILL
It took ten minutes to beat Kay Connell
to death. Ten minutes.
Their eyes, locked. Veins, popping along Walter's temples.
Lip quivering...
JUST THEN a BELL sounds in the distance. Will looks up.
A LINE OF FISHING BOATS coming back in.
Will, looks back at Walter. Throws him to the ground.
Sickened.
WILL (cont'd)
Get the fuck out of town, Byrd. Leave
and never come back.
Walter COUGHS. Holding his neck. Enjoying this.
WALTER
I have a summer house up by Kgun Lake.
I'm going to write my next novel there.
It's about a famous detective who goes
bad.
Will shoots him a look.
WALTER (cont'd)
Just kidding.
He pulls himself to his feet. A little unsteady. Takes out
a handkerchief. Dabs his forehead.
WALTER (cont'd)
The never coming back part, though. I'm
not sure. To tell you the truth this has
been kind of fun. Going to the station,
meeting all those nice people. Talking
with you.
He shrugs. Walks past Will.
WALTER (cont'd)
I might miss it.
Will turns. Watches him walk away. Walter hesitates. Turns
back.
WALTER (cont'd)
I especially like that new detective.
Will looks at him. Back straightening.
WALTER (cont'd)
Detective Burr.
(smiles)
I liked her very much. Has a real
vitality.
Will's stomach jumps. Walter turns back. Continues on.
The little man in a beige windbreaker.
INT. CHIEF CHARLES NYBACK'S OFFICE - NIGHTMUTE PD - DAY
CLOSE ON a HAND. Signing the bottom of a form.
CHIEF NYBACK (O.S.)
I was hoping not to send you back with so
much paperwork, Will.
PULL BACK to reveal Chief Nyback sitting at his desk. Will
stands before him. Signing papers. A bottle of bourbon on
the desk. Some paper cups half filled.
CHIEF NYBACK (cont'd)
When are you taking off?
Will checks his watch.
WILL
Six-thirty.
Fred, standing over by the filing cabinet. Toothpick in his
mouth.
FRED
If Spencer's not too drunk to fly.
Nyback chuckles.
CHIEF NYBACK
Can't talk you into staying for a couple of
days? Do some fishing? Show you what
normally goes on around here.
Will shakes his head.
WILL
I have to get back.
CHIEF NYBACK
Too bad...
Looks over at Fred picking his teeth.
CHIEF NYBACK (cont'd)
...Brought some real class to the place.
But, Seattle needs its hero back.
(stands)
Couldn't have done it without you, Will.
Will caps the pen. Uncomfortable. Nods towards Fred.
WILL
Had a lot of help from Nightmute's 
finest.
JUST THEN the door swings open. They look over as
ELLIE hurries in. She smiles. Looks tired.
ELLIE
Didn't want to miss anything.
CHIEF NYBACK
Detective Dormer's not leaving for a few
hours.
ELLIE
Good.
CHIEF NYBACK
Maybe you could drive him to Spencer's.
ELLIE
Sure.
An awkward beat. Ellie walks over to Will. Looks up.
Suddenly throws her arms around him.
ELLIE (cont'd)
I thought what you did on this case was
amazing.
Will holds his hands out. Not sure what to do. Looks down
at the top of Ellie's head.
ELLIE'S HAND
slips down his back. Feeling for a holster. For that 39/13.
Nothing. She breaks away.
ELLIE (cont'd)
We're really going to miss you around
here.
She and Will lock eyes. Hold for a beat.
He knows exactly what she was trying to do.
INT./EXT. JEEP CHEROKEE - NIGHTMUTE - DAY
Will, driving down Nightmute's main street. He takes a left.
Goes up a hill. Glances out the window. Passing by
THE CEMETERY. A cluster of headstones. Something catches
his eye. He stops the car.
EXT. CEMETERY - NIGHTMUTE - DAY
Will, walking up to the wrought-iron gate surrounding the
cemetery. Stops. Puts his hands up to the bars.
KAY CONNELL'S GRAVE
on the other side. Newly dug. A mound of dirt. Flowers,
scattered by the wind. Daughter and Friend...1982-1999.
Will. Grips the bars. As if he's seeing it for the first
time. Really seeing it.
Closes his eyes.
 
What have I done?
INT. WILL'S ROOM - PIONEER LODGE - EVENING
 
Will's REFLECTION in the mirror. He's showered. Hair's
combed. Put on a clean suit. Steps back. Smooths down his
lapels. Just right.
Turns to face the room. Bed's made, mess cleaned up. He
heads over to the bureau, pulls out his Smith 39/13. Lays it
on the bed.
Unclips his badge from his belt. Lays it on the bed. Takes
something from the bedside table. The BULLET found in Hap
Eckhart. Lays it on the bed.
All neat. All ordered.
Reaches under the mattress. Pulls out the PHOTOGRAPH of a
blurry Walter Byrd standing in front of a house. A radio
tower in the background. The call numbers: WKOZ.
Will studies it. Tears it in half.
INT. BACK ROOM - PIONEER LODGE - EVENING
Rachel in the back room behind reception. A pullman's
kitchen, a desk, an old recliner. Pouring some milk into a
bowl for a CAT. A stray.
Will walks in. Rachel turns, smiles.
RACHEL
I found a new friend.
Will walks up to her. Puts his arms around her. Holds her,
smells her, kisses her neck. Pulls away. Looks into her
eyes.
RACHEL (cont'd)
Will. What is it?
He doesn't answer. The cat, rubs against his leg. PURRING.
INT./EXT. JEEP CHEROKEE - EVENING
Will driving along a forest road. Eyes dead ahead. A map on
the passenger seat. By the fold, Kgun Lake circled in pencil.
INT. BULLPEN - NIGHTMUTE PD - CONTINUOUS
Ellie working at her desk. Looks up at the clock: 6:00.
Gets up, grabs her down vest. Heads for the door. Farrell
sticks the tip of his crutch in her path. She stumbles.
ELLIE
Very funny, Farrell...
EXT. ROAD TO KGUN LAKE - EVENING
AERIAL VIEW of the silver Jeep Cherokee. The only car on the
road. The sky, white-grey. The trees, a blanket of green.
The Cherokee heads around a hairpin curve.
INT. LOBBY - PIONEER LODGE - EVENING
Rachel at reception. Reading the paper. Ellie walks in.
ELLIE
Hi, Rachel.
INT./EXT. JEEP CHEROKEE - ROAD TO KGUN LAKE - EVENING
Will, scanning the treeline. Takes a left fork then stops.
Thought he saw something. Grinds the gear, backs up. Takes
another look.
IN THE DISTANCE, a radio tower. WKOZ.
 
INT. HALLWAY - OUTSIDE WILL'S ROOM - EVENING
Rachel and Ellie, standing outside Will's room. Ellie knocks
again.
RACHEL
I would have seen if he came back.
INT. WILL'S ROOM - PIONEER LODGE - EVENING
The CLICK of a key and the door opens. Ellie strides in.
ELLIE
Detective Dormer?
She stops. Rachel behind her. Taking in the strange feeling
in the room. Walks over to the bed. Eyes riveted on the
39/13. On the bullet. Rachel, behind her.
RACHEL
What is all this?
Ellie, her mind races. Notices TORN PHOTOGRAPH PIECES in the
trash can. Reaches in and pulls some out. A puzzle.
INT./EXT. JEEP CHEROKEE - LAKE KGUN
Will stops the car at the end of a narrow dirt driveway.
Looming before him...
A HOUSE right on the lake. Tall, wooden, in disrepair.
Chipping yellow paint. A ghost of what it once was. The
house from the photograph. 
INT. STUDY - HOUSE
The CLANG of electric typewriter keys bang out a title:
BLINK OF AN EYE, by Walter By
WALTER BYRD hunched at his typewriter. In an old study.
Books stacked everywhere. Light patches on the walls where
pictures used to hang.
BARKING outside. Walter cocks his head. Gets up. Walks
over to the window. 
OUTSIDE. Will walking up to the house. Lucy and Desi
jumping around him.
INT. LIVING ROOM - SUMMER HOUSE
Will opens the screen door with a CREAK. Steps into the
living room.
Recoils from the smell. Flies BUZZING. Yellow plastic
covering the sofas. Boxes, books, papers, pictures piled
high everywhere. Wallpaper faded, peeling.
Everything, decaying.
INT./EXT. ELLIE'S TRUCK - CONTINUOUS
Ellie ripping along the forest road in her truck. Gripping
the wheel. The photograph pieces, taped together on the
passenger seat.
INT. SUMMER HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Will heads down a hallway. Dark, narrow, floorboards worn.
More shit stacked up.
Each step, careful, quiet. Tracking. Listening. A BREEZE
sweeps through. The burned-out lightbulb hanging from the 
ceiling, starts swinging.
WALTER (O.S.)
Here to visit me?
Will whips around.
WALTER standing there. At the other end of the hallway.
Shoulders slumped.
Will shakes his head.
WILL
No.
FLIES, bouncing against the screen door.
WILL (cont'd)
I'm here to end this.
Walter looks around.
WALTER
Where's your back-up?
WILL
No back-up.
WALTER
You're not following procedure.
WILL
Procedure went out the window a long time
ago.
Walter looks at him.
WALTER
We're on the same side, Will. You know
that. After what we've been through
together. We're partners. Bound by a
secret.
Will takes a step forward...
WILL
That's where you're wrong, Walter.
Slowly reaches into his jacket...
WILL (cont'd)
There is no secret. Because the biggest
difference between you and me is what we
will or will not live with...
Pulls out his SMITH AND WESSON. Walter. Looks at the gun.
Inches back.
WALTER 
Will...
SUDDENLY, darts out of sight. Swings back into the doorway
with a SHOTGUN...
BAM! Will's shoulder explodes with blood.
EXT. DRIVEWAY - SUMMER HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Ellie, jumping out of her truck. Hears the sound. Looks up
at the big, yellow house. Pulls out her Glock 40.
INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
Walter walking down the hall. Will, writhing on the floor,
reaches for his back holster...gun's not there!
Walter stands over him. Swings his leg back and...CRACK!
Kicks will in the ribs. The pain, blinding. Will GASPS.
CRACK! again, CRACK! again, CRACK! again. Walter's face.
Calm, flushed. A vein along his temple. 
Will's eyes flutter. Blood, spewing from his lips. A THUD!
to his kidneys. Walter stops, out of breath. Hand on hip.
WALTER
You give the police a bad name, Will.
WILL'S HAND suddenly shoots out. Grabs the shotgun barrel.
WALTER stumbles back. The shotgun goes off. BAM! Chunks of
ceiling rain down. Walter falls to the ground.
EXT. SUMMER HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Ellie, heart POUNDING. Kicks the front door open...
INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
Will, covered in dry wall, struggling to his feet. Reaches
for his Smith and Wesson.
WALTER'S DESERT BOOT kicks it out of the way. It SKITTERS
down the hall.
Walter grabs his shotgun. Scrambles to his feet. Runs down
to the end of the hall. Ducks into...
INT. LIBRARY
...the library. Dirty shelves, strings of dust. Endless
books. He races over to a cabinet. Yanks open a DRAWER...
INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
Will, on his feet, trying to focus. His suit, soaked with
blood. Looking for his gun. Spots it, in the corner...
INT. LIBRARY
Walter jerks open another drawer. A STACK OF BOOKS teeter on
the top of the cabinet. He finds what he needs. SHELLS.
Grabs a handful...
THE BOOKS tumble down on top of him. He CRIES out, covering
his head...touches his ear, panics - hearing aid's gone!
Looks up. Will, coming down the hall...
INT. HALLWAY
Will hobbles into the library. Sweeps the room with this gun.
No Walter.
Steps on something, crushing it. Looks down. Walter's
hearing aid. Kicks it aside.
INT. FRONT HALL - CONTINUOUS
 
Ellie. In the front hall. Following procedure. Right hand
gripping the gun. Left supporting the butt.
Blinks away sweat. Facing three doorways.
INT. DINING ROOM
Will limps into the dining room. Furniture stacked high.
Eyes, darting. Gun, covering. Trying to stay conscious...
BANG! The screen door.
INT. FRONT HALL - CONTINUOUS
Ellie. Gun swinging. Doorway one. Doorway two. Doorway 
three...SUDDENLY
A FIGURE
runs past number one. Big. Shadowy. The flash of a GUN.
She wheels toward it. Finger on the trigger...
SLO-MO...The FIGURE, passing. Her heart, POUNDING. Her
finger...squeezing...
Will Dormer or Walter Byrd?
At the last second, she jerks the gun away. The figure 
disappears. She swallows. Gripping the gun. Follows.
 
EXT. BACK YARD - SUMMER HOUSE
The sky, heavy with clouds. The air, foreboding. Will
steals out the screen door. Gun cocked. Eyes scanning.
Wind, bending the weeds, the trees.
BAM! a shot. Out of nowhere. Rips into his thigh. Will
CRIES out. BAM! a second shot. Whizzes past him...
INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
...CRACK! the shot bites into the window frame. Wings Ellie
halfway across the room. She drops to the floor. Clutching
her shoulder. Flesh wound.
ELLIE
Shit!
Pulls herself over to a SIDEBOARD for cover. Shrinks behind
it. Notices
A PLASTIC BAG sticking out from one of the drawers. Nudges
it open. A flowered dress, some panty-hose, strands of long
dark hair...
EXT. BACK YARD - SUMMER HOUSE
Will. On the ground. Gripping his leg. Looking wildly
around. No sign of Walter. Then. He sees it.
Lucy and Desi. Down by the boathouse.
INT. BOATHOUSE
The boathouse. Old, rotted wood. Crumbling beams.
Walter stands at a window. Re-loading his shotgun. He
fumbles, drops a shell. It rolls towards a crack in the
floor. Falls into the LAKE WATER below.
CLICK! Walter levels the shotgun out the window.
WALTER'S POV - the long, undulating WEEDS outside.
EXT. WEEDS
 
Will. Pulling himself through the weeds. Losing blood fast.
Dragging his body. Approaches the side of the BOATHOUSE.
WALTER'S GUN BARREL, sticking out.
Will ducks his head. Winces in pain. Breathing, becoming
ragged. Rounds to the other side. Hoists himself up to
another WINDOW. Cautiously looks in...
WALTER at the far window.
Will jerks back. Steps on the dock. A plank CREAKS. Shit.
Peers back through the window. 
 
WALTER. Still looking out. Didn't hear a thing.
Will remembers. Walter doesn't have his hearing aid. He's
deaf on that side.
INT. BOATHOUSE
Walter, looking out the window.
OVER HIS SHOULDER - we see Will climbing in through the
window. Smearing blood along the sill, favoring his leg.
Stands straight. Levels his gun at Walter's back.
WILL
(softly)
Walter?
Nothing. Walter continues staring out the window. Will
raises his voice.
WILL (cont'd)
Walter!
Walter jumps, whips around. Comes face to face with the 
barrel of Will Dormer's gun. Surprised. Absently touches
his deaf ear.
WALTER
Wild card.
WILL
Drop the gun, Walter.
Walter looks at Will's 45.
WALTER
That jammed the last time, remember?
The men LOCK EYES. Wind HOWLING through the boathouse.
Killer and Detective. Only a bullet separating them.
WALTER suddenly jerks up his shotgun...
BANG! He stumbles back. Hit in the gut.
Will's Smith and Wesson, smoking. No longer jammed.
Walter, touches the blood. Looks back at Will. Staggering.
CRACK! The rotting floor gives way beneath him. He CRIES
out, falls. Drops into the icy water below.
SILENCE. Will steps over to the hole. Looks down at
 
WALTER, floating on his back. Looking up at him. Water
washing over his body. Eyes, pleading. Fading. A wave,
gently pulls him away.
WILL
Another J. Brody mystery.
EXT. BOATHOUSE
Will staggers out on to the dock. Drops his gun. Crashes to
his knees. Falls back. His face, pale. Lying against the
wood of the dock.
RAIN DROPS. Start to fall. Washing the blood from his skin.
Puckering the lake water. Will's eyes...flutter...
FOOTSTEPS...running along the dock. Heavy boots...
ELLIE (O.S.)
Detective Dormer!
Will squints against the rain. Makes out the face of
ELLIE hovering over him. He gives a half-smile.
WILL
God, you're a pain in the ass.
Ellie kneels down next to him. Pulls over her vest. Covers
him.
ELLIE
You're shot.
Will looks at her bloody shoulder.
WILL
You, too.
Ellie, tearing off her boot. Yanks off her sock.
ELLIE
I'm going to make a tourniquet.
Will, fading fast.
WILL
Walter Byrd killed Kay Connell. Her
things are in the house.
ELLIE
I know.
WILL
Byrd's dead.
Ellie, wraps the sock around his leg. Starts twisting. Will
grimaces. Ellie swallows. Doesn't want to ask this.
ELLIE
You shot Detective Eckhart, didn't you?
Will nods.
WILL
Yes.
A pained looks crosses Ellie's face.
ELLIE
Did you mean to?
Will shakes his head.
WILL
No. But I covered it up. I lied.
ELLIE
Why?
RAIN, drumming down around them. Will, takes a deep breath.
WILL
Because I just couldn't be wrong.
(looks at her)
Don't ever get that way, Ellie. Don't 
ever lose your way. It blurs the line.
His blood, pumping out in rivulets. Ellie looks down at him. 
Her hero. Moves up to the wound in his arm.
ELLIE
This one looks worse.
Will reaches up a feeble hand. Stops her.
WILL
(whispers)
Just let me sleep, Ellie...
His eyelids, growing heavy.
WILL (cont'd)
Let me sleep.
Ellie blinks away the tears. Knows what he means. What he
wants. Watches as the calm spreads over him.
Will closes his eyes.
ELLIE
No!
Will opens his eyes. She ties the second sock around his
arm.
ELLIE (cont'd)
I will not let you sleep. If you've lost
your way then you have to make it right.
That's the only way. That's what you'd
tell me. I've been a detective for four
weeks and I say you're coming with me.
She gets up. Slips her arms under his shoulders. Starts
hoisting him up.
ELLIE (cont'd)
C'mon...
Will. Struggling to his knees. Every inch of him, screaming
in pain. Gets to his feet. Arm slung around this tiny,
young woman.
WILL
What about your shoulder?
ELLIE
Don't worry. I'll have a cool scar.
And they head, slowly but surely, back down the dock.
 
FADE OUT.