tc2x04
Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
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TEASER
FADE IN:
INT. MORGAN RESIDENCE - KITCHEN - DAY
CAROLINE MORGAN, wearing a dressing gown and slippers,
angrily cracks an egg into a bowl.
Snatching up a fork, she furiously begins whisking as VI
MORGAN enters.
Caroline grabs another egg and smashes it against the bowl.
Bits of egg shell fall down into the mix. Caroline doesn't
notice.
VI
Mum, I think you got some --
CAROLINE
He's really irresponsible, you
know that?
VI
Who?
CAROLINE
(to herself)
Who? She has to ask!
Vi nods, understanding.
VI
Dad.
CAROLINE
Your father!
Vi sits down at the table.
VI
What did he do this time?
CAROLINE
Nothing. That's the thing. He
told me nothing. Woke up this
morning, got all dressed up, dug
his briefcase out of the closet -
his briefcase, Vi - and drove
off. And Penny went, too. Didn't
say a word.
Caroline sloshes the egg mixture into the frying pan where
it starts to bubble.
VI
Well, I'm pretty sure we can rule
out him running off with another
woman.
(beat)
Unless Penny is the other woman.
Caroline spins around - her eyes flashing.
VI (CONT'D)
(quickly)
Just trying to lighten the mood.
(beat; serious)
I'm sure everything's fine, Mum.
It's just one of Penny's life
coaching things, I know it.
CAROLINE
That's not even the issue, Vi.
Caroline rips open the fridge and takes out a carton of
orange juice. She look around. No clean glasses.
CAROLINE (CONT'D)
I have to work today. Your father
knew that. He was supposed to
stay here and watch Cam. Or at
least someone was supposed to be
here.
She grabs a coffee mug from the sink, empties the remaining
coffee down the drain and pours juice into it.
CAROLINE (CONT'D)
I'll have to miss work. I can't
rely on Penny and you --
She thumps the mug of juice down in front of Vi. Vi eyes it
with disgust.
CAROLINE (CONT'D)
I can't rely on you, either.
Vi looks up.
VI
(defensive)
What are you talking about? Of
course, you can. I can watch Cam!
CAROLINE
Really?
Vi cringes.
VI
I can't. I'm busy today.
Caroline looks skyward and throws her hands in the air.
CAROLINE
For goodness sake!
Vi stands, looking guilty.
VI
In fact... I sort of have to
leave like...
CAROLINE
Now?
Vi nods. Caroline, slowly calming down, sighs. She grabs
the frying pan from the stove.
CAROLINE (CONT'D)
Well, at least have your
breakfast first.
Vi looks into the pan. Lumps of barely cooked scrambled egg
dribble down around two pieces of burnt bacon.
She looks sickened.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Vi walks down the footpath, gulping from a bottle of water.
She swishes the liquid around in her mouth, spitting it
into a garden as she passes.
VI
Yeuck!
She tucks the bottle into her shoulder bag and pulls out a
piece of paper.
It reads: "84 Lovelock Road, Jessop Hill, Garreton".
Vi looks up, still walking, and steps off the curb. She
crosses the street to a new looking two story house.
PEOPLE swarm the front yard. They part to reveal a sign.
"OPEN HOUSE INSPECTION - TODAY!".
CUT TO BLACK.
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
INT. THE COMPANY - HALLWAY - DAY
LYNNE CAMPBELL walks in a daze. Almost zombie-like in her
disorientation.
There are the sounds of far away VOICES and the general
bustle of an office environment as EMPLOYEES move around
her. She doesn't seem to notice them.
She turns the corner and --
-- collides with JENNA COOKE. The files Jenna holds go
crashing to the ground.
Jenna kneels to gather them.
JENNA
Oh! Sorry, Lynne. I wasn't even
paying attention. I really should
learn to... Hey...
Lynne hasn't moved. She watches Jenna on the floor - her
eyes glazed over.
JENNA (CONT'D)
(concerned)
Are you okay?
Lynne blinks.
LYNNE
Uh... Yeah. Yes, I'm fine.
She slowly gets down and gathers a few papers.
JENNA
You just seem a little... off.
Lynne lifts one sheet of paper.
ANGLE ON PAPER
It's a complicated looking print-out. Lots of numbers,
diagrams and graphs.
The most eye-catching thing is a table in the centre.
Large, clear text reads: "84 Lovelock Road, Jessop Hill,
Garreton".
BACK TO SCENE
LYNNE
What's this?
Jenna takes the paper, glancing at it.
JENNA
It's Vi's assignment. I think
she's doing it today.
LYNNE
Oh.
Lynne looks confused. Jenna studies Lynne's face, her
concern growing.
INT. THE COMPANY - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
ANDREW FRIAR dozes in a chair, his feet up on the table.
The room around him is cluttered with boxes of files.
There's a laptop on the table in front of him. It BEEPS.
Andrew opens his eyes and blearily looks to the screen.
A beat. He sighs.
ANDREW
Crap.
Off this, cut to:
INT. THE COMPANY - BENSON'S OFFICE - DAY
Andrew flips up the laptop screen and spins it around to
face ALISTAIR BENSON, who sits behind his desk. His suit is
crumpled and his tie loosened despite the early hour in the
day.
On the screen, there's a pop-up message. "Search Completed.
0 Results in Database".
ANDREW
We've been at this for weeks and,
as far as I can tell, the W. R.
Crenshaw that we're looking for
doesn't exist.
BENSON
Perhaps we're just not looking
hard enough.
ANDREW
We're looking bloody hard!
Benson presses a palm to one eye - grimacing as if in pain.
BENSON
We just need to focus. Start from
the beginning.
Andrew groans and sinks into a chair.
ANDREW
I'm tired. I want to go home. I'm
hoping my cat has figured out how
to use the can opener by now.
(beat)
Can't you find somebody else to
do this? A couple of oompa
loompa's, maybe?
BENSON
I'm trying to limit the amount of
people who have to deal with
this.
ANDREW
(stunned; flattered)
So you chose me?
(beat)
Why?
BENSON
That could hardly be helped,
Andrew. You were already
involved.
Andrew nods, understanding.
ANDREW
Because of Vi. Because it was her
Dad Crenshaw told about the
Company.
BENSON
We assume that's all he did.
ANDREW
Well, if this is all about Vi...
I mean... We could always try...
Benson stands, suddenly forceful.
BENSON
Absolutely not.
Andrew leaps to his feet, too.
ANDREW
But it's her Dad's book. She
might even know who Crenshaw is.
She might have met him!
BENSON
Believe me, I've already
considered this. I don't want her
involved.
Andrew's shoulders slump in defeat.
INT. OPEN HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Vi makes her way through the room, looking incredibly out
of place amongst the adult HOUSE HUNTERS.
She finds a quiet spot by the fire place and leans against
the mantle piece, trying to blend in.
She eyes a row of precisely placed photographs - every one
showing a happy, smiling COUPLE. Vi notices there's an odd
gap between two of them. Just enough space for another
frame.
MALE VOICE (O.S.)
Nothing overly exciting, I'm
afraid.
Vi turns. ARTHUR SMALL (39) looks over the photos. He gives
her a smile.
ARTHUR
My wife doesn't really like to
travel.
Vi gives him a polite smile. Then, she frowns - thinking.
VI
Um, do I know you?
Arthur studies her face. His eyes widen. Simultaneously, Vi
realises.
VI (CONT'D)
Oh my God!
ARTHUR
You!
VI
Y-you're the bus driver. From
when I... caught the bus that
time.
ARTHUR
I... I can't believe it. Er, am I
supposed to be... happy to see
you?
VI
I don't know.
ARTHUR
You're not going to do anything
strange, are you?
Vi quickly shakes her head.
VI
Nope. I'm just here to look at
your house.
She cringes, realising how lame that sounded. A beat. She
takes a deep breath. Holds out her hand.
VI (CONT'D)
I'm Vi. Vi Morgan.
Arthur shakes it.
ARTHUR
Arthur Small. Bus driver.
VI
Still?
ARTHUR
(pointedly)
Well, thirty thousand dollars
doesn't exactly make a retirement
fund.
He looks knowingly at her, gauging her reaction. Vi
blushes.
Before she can stutter some sort of denial to Arthur's
accusations, IMOGEN SMALL (37), a prim and proper looking
woman, steps up beside him.
IMOGEN
Hi, honey.
ARTHUR
Hey. I want to introduce you to
someone.
He motions to Vi.
ARTHUR (CONT'D)
Imogen, this is Vi. She was on
the bus that day.
Vi raises her eyebrows - amused that her escapades had left
such an impression.
ARTHUR (CONT'D)
And Vi, this is my wife, Imogen.
Imogen gives her a tight smile. Not unfriendly, just
stressed.
IMOGEN
Nice to meet you.
She glances around.
IMOGEN (CONT'D)
All alone, then?
VI
Um, well, I'm doing some recon
for my parents. While they're at
work.
Then, out of the blue, Lynne appears beside her. She
touches Vi's shoulder and Vi jumps in fright.
LYNNE
(laughing)
Sorry, sweetie. Didn't mean to
scare you.
VI
Sweetie?
Lynne smiles at her and turns to Imogen and Arthur.
LYNNE
Hi, I'm Mrs. Morgan. You must be
the Smalls.
IMOGEN
Yes. How did you know...
Lynne grabs one of the photo frames from the mantel piece.
It's of Arthur and Imogen in front of a giraffe enclosure.
LYNNE
Oh, how lovely! Dubbo Zoo?
She gives them a wide, inquisitive smile. Vi just looks at
her like she's gone insane.
INT. MORGAN RESIDENCE - CAM'S ROOM - DAY
CAM MORGAN sits at his desk. He's hunched over a text book,
doing homework.
Caroline enters, carrying a pile of fresh clothes.
She looks around Cam's room, narrowing her eyes. The room
is a mess.
She sighs, dumping the pile of clothes down onto Cam's bed.
CAROLINE
Okay, that's it.
Cam looks up.
CAROLINE (CONT'D)
I am not just going to stand
around all day, letting him get
to me.
CAM
Alright.
(beat)
What are you going to do, then?
Caroline gives him a determined smile.
CAROLINE
We are going to clean your room.
Cam groans.
EXT. PARRY RESIDENCE - FRONT LAWN - DAY
SHANE EVANS walks his bike up the driveway. Reaching the
front porch, he leans it against the railing.
He pauses and then hesitantly walks up the steps to the
front door, shrugging off his backpack.
He reaches out for the doorbell but just before he touches
it...
BIANCA (O.S.)
(filtered)
What the hell are you doing here,
Evans?
Shane jumps and looks around. Bianca's nowhere in sight.
Her voice is coming from a speaker by the front door.
Shane leans close into the speaker.
SHANE
I, um, I brought your homework.
From school.
BIANCA (O.S.)
No one asked you to. I can catch
up on my own.
SHANE
You've been out sick for weeks
now. I was just... I don't
know... I was sort of worried.
There's silence. A few long moments pass and Shane's about
to turn and leave when...
... BIANCA PARRY opens the door. She studies him. Sighs.
Steps back, holding the door open wider.
Shane gives her a friendly grin and enters. Bianca rolls
her eyes and closes the door behind him.
INT. PARRY RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Shane enters, holding his back pack. Bianca saunters in
after him.
SHANE
You don't seem all that sick, you
know.
BIANCA
It's Saturday. I'm allowed to
feel better on Saturday, alright?
Shane raises his eyebrows and turns away. He takes a look
around the room.
SHANE
Haven't been here for awhile.
BIANCA
I'd like to believe this is the
first time, if you don't mind.
She turns to him, crossing her arms over her chest.
BIANCA (CONT'D)
What are you really doing here,
Shane? Did Vi send you? Does she
want you to dig up some dirt on
me, spread it around school
again?
SHANE
No! Look, Vi would never --
BIANCA
Yeah, well, she did.
(beat)
I'm not proud of what I said
about Lenny, okay? But she didn't
have to go and...
She drops her arms and sinks down onto the couch.
BIANCA (CONT'D)
(small; sad)
My friends totally ditched me.
Everyone just thinks I'm some
big... joke. I'm pathetic.
As Shane sits down beside her.
SHANE
Hey, you're not --
Bianca leaps up.
BIANCA
I'm not looking for sympathy.
Just give me the work I've missed
and get out.
Shane sighs and opens his back pack. He riffles around
inside.
He pauses, looking up at her innocently.
SHANE
I would but... My handwriting's
really hard to read. Chicken
scratch, really. You'd probably
need me to translate.
Bianca frowns.
EXT. OPEN HOUSE/SMALL RESIDENCE - DAY
Establishing shot.
INT. SMALL RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Vi and Lynne stand by the window. Lynne inspects the window
hinges.
VI
Andrew sent you, didn't he? He
thought I couldn't handle this on
my own.
LYNNE
You do seem a little out of
place, Vi.
VI
So, what, you're just going to
pretend to be my mother, now? Do
you even know how to be a mother?
Hurt flickers across Lynne's face. Vi doesn't notice.
VI (CONT'D)
Look, the guy who's selling the
house - Arthur. I know him from
one of my old assignments. I can
take him and... I guess you could
just have a look around. If you
want.
Lynne doesn't respond.
VI (CONT'D)
Lynne? Hello?
Vi rolls her eyes.
VI (CONT'D)
I'll check in later.
Vi walks away, frustrated.
The noise from the rest of the room fades away as Lynne
traces her fingers over the smooth wood of the window
frame.
There's a HISSING sound and she tears her hand away - as if
she has been burned.
Eyes wide, she stares as fire suddenly engulfs the window.
Lynne stumbles back, shielding her face. Behind the glass,
two FIGURES can be seen - although barely. They pound on
the glass - SCREAMING.
Lynne turns her head away. A moment later, she looks back.
Everything is back to normal. No fire. No screaming figures
outside the window.
INT. THE COMPANY - CONTROL CENTRE - DAY
Jenna walks through the room, dictating to an EMPLOYEE who
scribbles notes on a clipboard.
JENNA
A six percent increase in address
based assignments is not yet
conducive to the theory of
connection trends despite the
fact that Auckland and Darwin
have produced similar results
this year. It should be noted
that in 2005, Tokyo --
MALE VOICE (O.S.)
Ms. Cooke?
Jenna turns.
JENNA
Yes?
Two beefy, well dressed SECURITY GUARDS stand before her.
SECURITY GUARD #1
We'd like you to come with us,
please.
Jenna, suddenly concerned, turns to the Employee.
JENNA
We'll continue this later.
The Employee, casting nervous glances to the Guards, nods
and scampers off.
JENNA (CONT'D)
I'm sorry. What was this about?
SECURITY GUARD #1
There's someone who would like a
word with you.
Jenna folds her arms, defiant.
JENNA
And who, exactly, would this
"someone" be?
The Guards each step aside, parting to reveal JORDAN
CADBURY, the Company accountant from episode 1x07.
JENNA (CONT'D)
Jordan Cadbury?
CADBURY
Good morning, Ms. Cooke. There
are a few, ah, issues we seem to
be having with your bank account
details.
JENNA
Issues? How many?
CADBURY
Six hundred thousand, to be
exact.
Off Jenna's stunned face, cut to...
INT. SMALL RESIDENCE - UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - DAY
Lynne. Once again, she walks in a zombie-like state. People
pass her but she doesn't acknowledge them.
She nears a closed door. Something about it draws her to a
stop.
Her hand reaches for the door knob tentatively. She pauses.
Then, plunges forward and opens the door.
It's just a linen closet. Lynne doesn't look relieved.
INT. SMALL RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Vi sits with Arthur on the couch. He motions to the room.
ARTHUR
Well, this is it. Big kitchen,
fenced in backyard, two baths,
one bedroom.
VI
Only one? A house this big?
ARTHUR
There's a downside to everything.
Vi smiles politely. There's an awkward silence and then:
VI
This is probably going to sound
weird...
Arthur laughs.
ARTHUR
I don't think you can top our
last meeting in terms of weird.
VI
Hopefully not. But, um... Is
everything okay?
Arthur blinks.
ARTHUR
How do you mean?
VI
With you. Life, I guess. I mean,
you're moving so things have to
be... stressful and... Yeah.
She props her hand under her chin, suddenly changing track.
VI (CONT'D)
Why are you moving?
ARTHUR
This house isn't exactly a
palace.
He glances around and then leans closer, conspiratorially.
ARTHUR (CONT'D)
Between you and me, it's a bit of
a fixer-upper. It was re-built
after a fire. Things still act up
occasionally. Ghosts in the
walls, Imogen says.
Vi sits back, a little spooked.
Imogen appears. Her face is pale with worry.
IMOGEN
(to Vi; urgent)
You have to leave.
Vi stands.
VI
What?
IMOGEN
You and your mother. Get her out
of here.
Standing now, too, Arthur puts an arm around Imogen.
ARTHUR
Imogen, honey, what's wrong?
IMOGEN
She's gone crazy. That woman's
insane!
Off Vi's confused and frightened expression, cut to:
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