Thriller duet scripts - printable pack

The Second Cup

Interrogation · Adult (40-55) · Neutral American · 1 minute

Cast: RUIZOWEN

An interview room, late evening — Detective Ruiz, forties, sets two coffees down; Owen, twenties, a witness who says he saw nothing

RUIZMilk, two sugars.

OWENHow did you know?

RUIZLucky guess. You told the officer you were at the laundromat on Fifth until ten.

OWENYeah. Doing laundry. That's what it's for.

RUIZAnd you didn't see anyone go into the pharmacy across the street.

OWENI was watching my clothes go round. It's hypnotic.

RUIZSure. What was in the load?

OWENWhat?

RUIZYour laundry. What did you wash?

OWENShirts. Socks. I don't know. Normal stuff.

RUIZThe laundromat on Fifth has been closed since June, Owen. Burst pipe. There's a sign on the door the size of a mattress.

OWEN...Then I was somewhere else.

RUIZYou were somewhere you could see the pharmacy door. Which means you saw who went in.

OWENIf I tell you, he'll know it was me.

RUIZHe already knows you were there. That's why you're drinking my coffee instead of going home.

OWEN...He had a key. He didn't break in. He had a key.

Knock Twice

Domestic suspense · Adult (30-45) · Neutral American · 1 minute

Cast: DANAMAN

A front door with the chain on, dusk — Dana, thirties, home alone with her daughter asleep upstairs; a man in his forties outside says he's from the water board

SFX: two knocks

DANAWho is it?

MANEvening, ma'am. Water board. We've had reports of a pressure drop on your street.

DANANobody told me.

MANThat's why I'm knocking. Won't take five minutes. Your meter's in the kitchen.

DANAMy meter's outside. By the hedge.

MANIn older houses, sure. Yours was moved in the renovation.

DANAWhat renovation?

MANTwo years back. New kitchen, new pipes. Nice job. Blue tiles.

DANA...How do you know my tiles are blue?

MANI'm just reading the work order, ma'am.

DANAThen read me the name on it.

MANIt's a bit dark out here.

DANAI'll turn on the porch light.

MANNo need. It says Harper. Dana Harper. And there's a note about the little one. Lily, is it? Asleep upstairs?

DANAI'm calling someone.

MANCourse you are. Only your phone's been dead all afternoon, hasn't it? Funny thing, a pressure drop. Everything goes a bit quiet.

DANAGet away from my door.

MANI'll be by the hedge. Checking the meter.

Dead Drop

Spy · Mature (55+) · Neutral British · 1 minute

Cast: TOMASCOLE

A park bench in winter — Cole, sixties, a handler, feeds pigeons; Tomas, twenties, his asset, sits at the far end with a folded newspaper

TOMASYou're feeding them bread. You're not supposed to feed them bread.

COLENobody's arrested me yet. Did you bring it?

TOMASIt's in the newspaper.

COLELeave it on the bench when you go.

TOMASI didn't open it.

COLEI didn't ask you to.

TOMASI didn't open it, and I didn't take it to the embassy, and I didn't photograph it. I took it home and put it under my bed and I looked at it for three nights.

COLEThat's the job, Tomas. Carrying things you don't look at.

TOMASMy father carried things for you.

COLEYour father was very good at it.

TOMASHe's dead.

COLEI know. I was at the funeral. Back row.

TOMASI saw you. I thought you'd come to say sorry.

COLEI came to see who else turned up. That's also the job.

TOMAS...Then I'm keeping the newspaper.

COLETomas.

TOMASTell whoever wants it they can come and ask my mother for it. Enjoy your pigeons.

Ninety Seconds

Kidnapping · Adult (40-55) · Neutral British · 1 minute

Cast: CLAIRECALLER

A kitchen at 3 a.m. — Claire, forties, answers a call from the person holding her son; the caller, any age, is flat and calm

SFX: phone rings once

CLAIREHello? Hello, is he there?

CALLERHe's here. He's fine. He's eating crisps. You have ninety seconds.

CLAIREPut him on. Please.

CALLERDid you call the police, Claire?

CLAIRENo.

CALLERThere's a car at the end of your road. Silver. Engine off. Two men not talking to each other.

CLAIREThat's the neighbours'.

CALLERYour neighbours have a red van.

CLAIRE...What do you want me to say?

CALLERI want you to stop lying. Every lie costs ten seconds. You're down to sixty.

CLAIREYes. I called them. I was frightened. I'm his mother, what did you expect?

CALLERExactly that. Thank you. Now we can talk. Tell the men in the silver car to go home. Tomorrow you bring your husband's laptop to the station café at noon.

CLAIREMark's laptop? This is about Mark?

CALLERIt was always about Mark. Thirty seconds.

CLAIRELet me hear my son.

CALLERHe's asleep. You'll hear him at noon. Don't be late, Claire.

Stakeout, Hour Nine

Detective · Adult (40-55) · Australian · 1 minute

Cast: JOKERRY

A parked car at night, hour nine of a stakeout — Detectives Kerry Walsh, fifties, and Jo Tran, thirties, watch a lit window across the road

JOHe's pacing again.

KERRYHe's been pacing since seven. Guilty men pace.

JOSo do men waiting for a pizza.

KERRYYou want to call it?

JOI want a toilet. I want to feel my legs.

KERRYTwenty more minutes.

JOYou said that at midnight. Kerry, why are we really out here? Sarge pulled the surveillance on Monday.

KERRYDid he.

JOYou know he did. This isn't on the books.

KERRYNo.

JOSo why bring me?

KERRYYou're good, and you don't ask questions.

JOI'm asking one now.

KERRY...The man in that window drove the car that hit my brother. Eleven years ago. Walked on a technicality.

JOAnd you want what? To watch him pace?

KERRYI want to see him make one mistake while someone honest is sitting next to me.

JO...Light's gone off.

KERRYFront door's opening.

JOThen start the engine. Quietly.

The Streetlight

Legal, cross-examination · Adult (40-55) · Neutral American · 1 minute

Cast: BROOKSPRUITT

A courtroom, mid-afternoon — defence attorney Maya Brooks, forties, cross-examines Mr Pruitt, sixties, the prosecution's eyewitness

BROOKSMr Pruitt, you told the jury you saw my client's face clearly.

PRUITTI did.

BROOKSFrom your porch. Across the street. At eleven at night.

PRUITTThere's a streetlight right there. Lights up the whole corner.

BROOKSYou're sure it was on.

PRUITTIt's always on. Thirty years I've lived on that street.

BROOKSDo you recall calling the city on the fourth of March?

PRUITTI call the city a lot. Somebody has to.

BROOKSThis call was about the streetlight. Your words, from the city's log: "It's been out a week and nobody cares."

PRUITTThat was... that was March.

BROOKSAnd the night you saw my client?

PRUITT...March.

BROOKSThe eighth. Four days after your call. Had they fixed it, Mr Pruitt?

PRUITTI don't know.

BROOKSYou don't know.

PRUITTI know what I saw.

BROOKSI believe you believe that. And I'm sorry. Nothing further, Your Honor.

PRUITTI saw him. I saw somebody. I'm sure I saw somebody.

The Back Door

Domestic suspense · Adult (40-55) · Neutral American · 1 minute

Cast: GREGTESS

A restaurant hallway and a family living room, 9 p.m. — Greg, forties, calls home from a dinner; Tess, eighteen, is babysitting his kids

GREGHey, Tess. Just checking in. Everyone asleep?

TESSOut like lights. Maddie made me read the dragon book three times.

GREGThat's the price of admission. We'll be back around eleven.

TESSOh. I thought you were back already.

GREGWhy would you think that?

TESSI heard the back door, like ten minutes ago. And someone in the kitchen. I figured you'd forgotten something.

GREGTess, we're across town.

TESS...Okay. It's probably the wind. That door sticks.

GREGIt doesn't stick. I fixed it Sunday. Where are you right now?

TESSOn the couch.

GREGIs the kitchen light on?

TESSIt wasn't. It's on now.

GREGListen to me. Don't hang up. Walk upstairs, normal speed. Go into Maddie's room and lock the door.

TESSGreg, I can hear the fridge.

GREGI know. Keep walking. Talk to me about the dragon book.

TESSThe dragon... he's scared of the dark, and the girl gives him a lamp.

GREGGood. Keep going. I'm already in the car.

Room Service

Spy · Adult (30-45) · Neutral British · 1 minute

Cast: IMOGENBRANDT

A hotel corridor in Vienna, midnight — Imogen, thirties, in a waiter's jacket with a trolley; Brandt, forties, speaks through a closed door

SFX: a knock

IMOGENRoom service.

BRANDTI didn't order anything.

IMOGENCompliments of the management. Soup of the day.

BRANDTWhat's the soup?

IMOGENLeek and potato.

BRANDTIt's Thursday. Thursday's soup is tomato.

IMOGENChef ran out of tomatoes.

BRANDTChef never runs out of tomatoes. Who sent you?

IMOGENThe same man who sent you. He says the phrase changed at noon.

BRANDTNobody told me.

IMOGENThat's rather the point. He isn't telling anyone anything anymore. There's a new passport under the bread roll, and about eight minutes before the men in the lobby finish their coffee.

BRANDTHow do I know you're not one of them?

IMOGENIf I were one of them, I wouldn't have knocked.

SFX: the chain slides off

BRANDT...Leek and potato.

IMOGENIt's actually quite good. Eat it in the car.

BRANDTWhose car?

IMOGENMine. Take the service lift. And don't bring the tie. It's far too memorable.

The Examiner

Interrogation · Adult (40-55) · Neutral American · 1 minute

Cast: HALEDEV

A polygraph room — Hale, fifties, a veteran examiner; Dev Shah, thirties, a bookkeeper who is far too calm

HALEYes or no answers only. Is your name Devan Shah?

DEVYes.

HALEAre we in Columbus, Ohio?

DEVYes.

HALEDid you take money from the Garrison account?

DEVNo.

HALEHave you ever lied to someone who trusted you?

DEVYes. Have you?

HALEI ask the questions, Mr Shah.

DEVOf course. Only you've been tapping the desk since I sat down. Your needle just moved. Not mine. Yours.

HALEThe machine is on you.

DEVThe Garrison account had two signatures on every transfer. Mine, and the auditor who signed off the books last March. Do you remember March, Mr Hale?

HALEStop.

DEVYou audited Garrison before you took this job. Your initials are on page nine. I kept a copy. Several, actually.

HALE...This session is over.

DEVIs that a yes or a no?

HALETurn off the tape.

DEVThere isn't a tape. There's a camera. It's been on the whole time. You set it up yourself.

Platform Six

Spy · Any · Neutral British · 1 minute

Cast: STRANGERCOURIER

A railway platform, the last train, fog — two strangers, any age, stand a careful distance apart

STRANGERIs this the train to Carlisle?

COURIERChange at Preston.

STRANGERI was told there was no change.

COURIERThere's always a change. You're late.

STRANGERThe taxi took the long way. I think on purpose.

COURIERThen someone paid him. Did you see who?

STRANGERGrey coat. He got in the car behind.

COURIERHe's on the footbridge now. Don't look.

STRANGERI wasn't going to.

COURIEREveryone says that, and everyone looks. Here's your ticket. Seat forty-one. Don't sleep.

STRANGERWhat's in Carlisle?

COURIERNothing. That's why you're going.

STRANGERAnd you?

COURIERI'm waiting for the next one. It goes the other way.

STRANGERWith him watching?

COURIERHe'll follow whoever looks more frightened. So I'll try to look very frightened.

STRANGERThank you.

COURIERDon't thank me. Get on the train.

SFX: doors hiss open

STRANGERWill I see you again?

COURIERI hope not. That's the nicest thing anyone in this job can say.

Terms

Hostage negotiation · Adult (40-55) · Southern US · 90 seconds

Cast: RUTHWADE

A command van outside a small-town bank, afternoon — negotiator Ruth Calder, fifties, on the phone to Wade, thirties, who is inside with four hostages

RUTHWade, it's Ruth again. You hung up on me.

WADEYou were talking about pizza. I don't want pizza.

RUTHOkay. What do you want?

WADEI told the last guy. A car, and nobody following.

RUTHThe last guy isn't here anymore. I am. And I don't think you want a car.

WADEYou don't know what I want.

RUTHYou've had three hours to walk out the back door. It's been open the whole time. You know it has.

WADE...Maybe I like it in here.

RUTHMaybe. How are the folks with you?

WADEThey're fine. Mrs Ostrander's got her sugar thing. I gave her the mints off the manager's desk.

RUTHThat was kind.

WADEDon't do that. Don't handle me.

RUTHFair. Then straight. Why this bank?

WADEThey took my granddaddy's farm. Signed it away in that office right there, the one with the fish tank.

RUTHWhen?

WADENineteen years ago. I was twelve. I held his hand while he signed.

RUTHAnd today?

WADEToday I came to take back the paper. It's in a file. They keep everything.

RUTHWade, if I get you that file, will you let Mrs Ostrander walk out first?

WADEYou can't get it.

RUTHI'm looking at the manager right now. He's very eager to help me.

WADE...Her first. Then we'll talk about the others.

RUTHHer first. I'm writing that down, Wade. Your terms.

The Confession

Interrogation · Mature (55+) · Irish · 90 seconds

Cast: NIAMHBRIDGET

A Garda station interview room, morning — Detective Sergeant Niamh Kearney, forties, faces Bridget Doyle, seventies, who walked in at dawn to confess

NIAMHMrs Doyle, you've said you killed Martin Cleary.

BRIDGETI have, and I did, and I'd like to be home by teatime if it's all the same to you.

NIAMHIt doesn't usually work like that.

BRIDGETWell, I've never done it before. You'll have to tell me the rules.

NIAMHHow did you kill him?

BRIDGETWith the poker. From the fireplace.

NIAMHWhich hand?

BRIDGETThe right.

NIAMHYou've a splint on your right wrist, Mrs Doyle.

BRIDGETI did it before the splint.

NIAMHThe splint's from April. Martin died Saturday.

BRIDGETThen I used the left. I'm very determined when I'm cross.

NIAMHWhere's your grandson this morning?

BRIDGET...Kieran's at work.

NIAMHHe's not. His boss rang looking for him. Twice.

BRIDGETKieran's a good boy.

NIAMHI believe you.

BRIDGETMartin Cleary was not a good man. Ask anyone on the road.

NIAMHI have. And every one of them said Kieran was the only one who ever stood up to him.

BRIDGETHe's twenty-two. He has his whole life.

NIAMHAnd you think yours is used up.

BRIDGETMine's had a good run, love.

NIAMHIt's not a swap, Bridget. You'd go in, and he'd still have done it, and he'd have to live knowing his gran took the weight.

BRIDGET...He'd never forgive me.

NIAMHNo. So tell me where he is. Before someone less patient finds him first.

Ten-Twenty-Two

Detective · Adult (40-55) · Neutral American · 90 seconds

Cast: BENLISA

A precinct break room after midnight — Detectives Ben Okafor, forties, and Lisa Marsh, thirties, rebuild a victim's last evening on a whiteboard

BENVictim leaves the bar at ten-fifteen. The camera on Delancey catches him at ten-twenty.

LISAThen nothing until the river.

BENThen nothing. Pass me the marker.

LISAYou look tired.

BENI've looked tired since 2009. Tuesday, ten-twenty to eleven. Where does a man go for forty minutes?

LISAA friend's. A second bar.

BENWhere were you Tuesday?

LISA...What?

BENJust making conversation.

LISAI was home. Laundry and bad television.

BENYou told me that was Wednesday.

LISATuesday, Wednesday. They're all the same.

BENYour car's in the Delancey footage, Lisa. Ten-twenty-two. I watched it four times hoping I was wrong.

LISABen.

BENI haven't logged it. It's on a drive in my pocket.

LISAHe was my informant. Two years. He called me that night. Said he'd been made. He was scared.

BENAnd you met him.

LISAI gave him cash for a bus ticket and I drove away. He was alive. I swear to you he was alive.

BENWhy didn't you say?

LISABecause an informant I never registered turned up in a river. Think how that reads.

BENIt reads bad. It reads worse tomorrow.

LISAAre you going to log it?

BENI'm going to put the kettle on. And you're going to tell me every word he said to you, before either of us decides anything.

The Timeline

Legal, cross-examination · Adult (30-45) · Neutral British · 90 seconds

Cast: VANEHANNAH

Crown Court, day four — prosecuting barrister Edward Vane, fifties, cross-examines the defendant, Hannah Price, thirties, an accountant

VANEMs Price, you left the office at five past six.

HANNAHYes.

VANEAnd arrived home at twenty to eight.

HANNAHAbout then.

VANEIt's a twenty-minute drive.

HANNAHOn a good day.

VANEWas it a good day?

HANNAHIt was a Friday in December, in the rain.

VANETraffic. Of course. And yet in that hour and a half, the company accounts were accessed from a laptop registered to you.

HANNAHMy laptop was on my desk. I didn't take it home.

VANEConvenient.

HANNAHCompany policy. We're not allowed to. It's in the staff handbook, page twelve.

VANESo someone else used your laptop.

HANNAHSomeone used my login. That's not the same thing.

VANEWho else knew your password, Ms Price?

HANNAHIT. And my line manager, because he asked for it in November, to cover my holiday.

VANEYour line manager being Mr Gould.

HANNAHYes.

VANEWho is a witness for the Crown.

HANNAHI'd noticed that.

VANEMs Price, you are asking this jury to believe that a senior partner—

HANNAHI'm not asking them anything. You asked me who knew my password. I answered.

VANE...Did you raise this with the police?

HANNAHTwice. It's in my first statement. Paragraph four. I'd assumed you'd read it.

VANENo further questions, my lord.

Lisbon

Spy · Adult (40-55) · Neutral British · 90 seconds

Cast: PAVELMARGARET

A steamy launderette in east London — Margaret, fifties, a handler, folds towels; Pavel, thirties, her asset at a foreign embassy, sits on a dryer

PAVELI want to stop.

MARGARETPass me that pillowcase.

PAVELDid you hear me?

MARGARETI heard you. Everyone wants to stop around year three. It's like a marriage.

PAVELMy wife is pregnant.

MARGARETCongratulations. Genuinely.

PAVELI can't do both. I can't sit at embassy dinners smiling at men I'm selling, then go home and paint a nursery.

MARGARETPeople do.

PAVELDo you?

MARGARETI haven't got a nursery. I've got a cat who tolerates me.

PAVELMargaret. Please.

MARGARETIf you stop, they'll wonder why. The man who's been so helpful, suddenly not helpful. They'll look at you harder.

PAVELThen help me make it look natural.

MARGARET...There's a posting in Lisbon. Commercial attaché. Very boring. Nobody interesting goes to Lisbon.

PAVELYou could get me that?

MARGARETI could suggest it to someone who could suggest it. It would take a year.

PAVELAnd in that year?

MARGARETIn that year you give me the dinners. Then you go and paint your nursery in Lisbon, and I never ring you again.

PAVELYou promise?

MARGARETI don't promise. I'm telling you what's likely. That's the most honest thing anyone in this job will ever give you.

PAVEL...Yellow. We're painting it yellow.

MARGARETGood choice. Fold that for me.

Proof of Life

Kidnapping · Adult (40-55) · Neutral American · 90 seconds

Cast: RICHARDWOMAN

A home office at 2 a.m. — Richard Amsel, fifties, takes a call from a woman who says she is holding his daughter, Emma

RICHARDI want to speak to Emma.

WOMANYou get a question. Ask something only she would know.

RICHARDWhat was the name of the horse she had when she was ten?

WOMANHold on.

SFX: muffled voices, a door

WOMANBiscuit.

RICHARD...Yes. That's right. Is she hurt?

WOMANShe's cold and she's angry. Same as usual, from what I hear.

RICHARDWhat do you want?

WOMANFour hundred thousand. From the offshore account. The one your accountant doesn't know about.

RICHARDHow do you know about that?

WOMANAsk a better question.

RICHARDFine. Ask her what she called me the last time she was home.

WOMANHold on.

SFX: the door again

WOMANShe says, "You know exactly what I called you."

RICHARD...She told you about the account.

WOMANMr Amsel—

RICHARDNobody knows about that account except my daughter. She found the statements at Christmas. We had words.

WOMANYour daughter is being held against her will.

RICHARDMy daughter is standing next to you. Put her on.

WOMANThat isn't how this works.

RICHARDEmma, I know you can hear me. You want me to pay for what I did? That's a real conversation, and I'll have it. Come home and have it with me. Not like this.

SFX: a long silence

WOMAN...She says she'll think about it.

RICHARDTell her I'll leave the porch light on. And tell her Biscuit was my idea.

Sugar

Domestic suspense · Adult (40-55) · Irish · 90 seconds

Cast: AOIFESIOBHAN

A landing between two flats, late evening — Aoife, twenties, knocks on her neighbour's door with an empty cup; Siobhan, forties, answers

AOIFESorry. I know it's late. Would you have a bit of sugar?

SIOBHANSugar.

AOIFEFor tea. I've only just moved in. I've nothing in the press.

SIOBHANI know. I heard the van.

AOIFEThe walls are desperate, aren't they?

SIOBHANThey are.

AOIFESo you'd hear... everything.

SIOBHANCome in off the landing.

AOIFEI'm grand here.

SIOBHANCome in, love. He's gone out. I heard the door go at ten.

AOIFE...I don't want sugar.

SIOBHANI know you don't.

AOIFEYou heard last night.

SIOBHANI heard last night. And Tuesday. And I heard the girl who lived there before you, for two years.

AOIFEWhat happened to her?

SIOBHANShe knocked on my door one night with an empty cup. Same as you.

AOIFEAnd?

SIOBHANAnd I gave her sugar and I shut the door, because I was afraid of him. I've been sorry every day since.

AOIFEWhere is she now?

SIOBHANI don't know. That's the part I'm sorry about.

AOIFEHe'll be back soon.

SIOBHANThen we've twenty minutes. My sister's in Galway, she's a spare room, and I've a car.

AOIFEI can't just go.

SIOBHANYou can. Get your coat and whatever fits in one bag. I'll get the keys.

AOIFEWhy are you doing this?

SIOBHANBecause I've had two years of practice at the wrong answer. Go on. Quick now.

The Night Porter

Stranger danger · Young adult (18-25) · Scottish · 90 seconds

Cast: LAURENANGUS

A small hotel lobby in Edinburgh, 1 a.m. — Lauren, twenties, travelling alone; Angus, sixties, the night porter

LAURENExcuse me. The man in room twelve. Has he checked out?

ANGUSI couldn't say, miss.

LAURENCouldn't or won't?

ANGUSBit of both. It's policy.

LAURENHe followed me from the station. He was at the café. He was at the bookshop. Now he's across the hall.

ANGUSPlenty of folk like books.

LAURENHe wasn't reading. He was reading me.

ANGUS...Sit down a moment. Tea?

LAURENI don't want tea. I want to know his name.

ANGUSI can't give you his name. What I can tell you is he paid cash, he gave an address in Leith that doesn't exist, and he asked me which room the young lady with the green case was in.

LAURENWhat did you tell him?

ANGUSRoom four.

LAURENI'm in room nine.

ANGUSAye. You are. Room four's the linen cupboard.

LAUREN...You lied for me.

ANGUSI've been doing nights forty years. You get a feel for who's asking and why.

LAURENWhat do I do?

ANGUSYou sit in that chair where I can see you, and I ring my nephew. He's a police constable. Lazy lad, but big.

LAURENAnd the man?

ANGUSIf he tries the linen cupboard, he'll get a shelf of towels on his head. I stacked them myself.

LAURENWhy would you do all that for a stranger?

ANGUSBecause my granddaughter travels on her own too. Sit. I'll put the kettle on anyway.

Route Nine Pharmacy

Hostage negotiation · Adult (40-55) · Southern US · 90 seconds

Cast: LUISDANNY

A small-town pharmacy at night, half the lights off — negotiator Luis Ortega, forties, walks in with a paper bag; Danny, twenties, stands behind the counter with a pistol; the pharmacist is tied to a chair in the back

LUISI'm coming in slow. Hands up. I've got a bag.

DANNYStop there. What's in the bag?

LUISTwo burgers, fries and a strawberry shake. They told me you hadn't eaten.

DANNYThey told you wrong. I ate.

LUISWhat'd you eat?

DANNY...Cough drops.

LUISWell, this beats cough drops. I'm putting it on the floor. I'm Luis, by the way.

DANNYI know who you are. You're the talker.

LUISThat's what they call me. I'd rather be the listener, but it doesn't sound as good on a jacket.

DANNYI'm not coming out.

LUISI didn't ask you to. How's Mr Pike doing back there?

DANNYHe's fine. He's mad. He keeps saying I'm ruining his inventory.

LUISThat sounds like him. Sold my mama her pills for twelve years and never smiled once.

DANNYHe smiled at me. Before.

LUISBefore what?

DANNYBefore the insurance said no. My sister's insulin. Three hundred forty dollars. I had eighty.

LUISSo you came for insulin.

DANNYAnd he said he couldn't, and I don't know. I had my daddy's gun in the truck. I don't even know why.

LUISHow much insulin did you take?

DANNYNone. It's still on the counter. I can't even do this right.

LUISDanny. Nobody's hurt. That matters more than you know right now. Put the gun on the floor by the burgers, and I'll carry that insulin to your sister myself.

DANNYThey'll arrest me.

LUISThey will. And she'll have her medicine tonight. Both of those things.

DANNY...Do I get the shake?

LUISYou get the shake.

Anything to Declare

Interrogation, customs · Any · Neutral British · 90 seconds

Cast: OFFICERTRAVELLER

An airport customs hall, 6 a.m. — an officer, any age, has pulled aside a traveller, any age, with one battered suitcase

OFFICERAnything to declare?

TRAVELLERNo.

OFFICERYou've been in Tangier for two days.

TRAVELLERIt was a short holiday.

OFFICERNobody goes to Tangier for two days on holiday.

TRAVELLERI'm very efficient.

OFFICEROpen the case, please.

TRAVELLERIt's just clothes.

OFFICERThen it'll be quick. Three shirts. Toothbrush. A book. Where are the other clothes?

TRAVELLERWhat other clothes?

OFFICERYou flew out with a larger case. Twenty-three kilos. You're flying back with nine.

TRAVELLERI gave some things away.

OFFICERFourteen kilos of things.

TRAVELLERI'm very generous.

OFFICERYou're very efficient, you're very generous. What else are you?

TRAVELLERTired. I'm very tired.

OFFICERWho did you give them to?

TRAVELLERMy brother. He's been there a year. He had nothing. I took him clothes, and a winter coat, and his daughter's drawings, and I left the big case because he needed a case.

OFFICERWhy didn't you just say so?

TRAVELLERBecause he's not supposed to be there. And the last officer who asked me about my brother kept me for nine hours.

OFFICERI'm not the last officer.

TRAVELLERYou all say that.

OFFICER...What's the book?

TRAVELLERHis. He asked me to bring it home. He said he'd be back to finish it.

OFFICERClose the case. Go on through.

TRAVELLERThat's it?

OFFICERI haven't seen anything to declare. I hope he finishes it.

The Margin Note

Spy, recruitment · Mature (55+) · Neutral British · 90 seconds

Cast: ELEANORPRIYA

A café in Brussels, rain on the window — Eleanor, sixties, a handler, meets Priya, twenties, a translator at a trade ministry, for "coffee about a job"

ELEANORYou're punctual. That's rarer than you'd think.

PRIYAYour email said you were from a recruitment firm.

ELEANORIt did say that.

PRIYAYou're not from a recruitment firm.

ELEANORNo. Have the almond croissant. They're very good here.

PRIYAI'd like to know who I'm talking to.

ELEANORSomeone who's read your work. Your translation of the Kovač memo last spring. You caught something nobody else did. A verb tense.

PRIYAHow have you read that? It was classified.

ELEANORSo I'm told.

PRIYAI should leave.

ELEANORYou probably should. But you're still sitting down.

PRIYA...What do you want?

ELEANORNothing you'd have to steal. Just what you notice. The verbs. The hesitations. Who doesn't meet whose eye at lunch.

PRIYAThat's spying.

ELEANORThat's listening. You already do it. I'm only asking you to tell someone afterwards.

PRIYAAnd if I say no?

ELEANORThen you've had a croissant and a strange afternoon, and I never contact you again.

PRIYAJust like that.

ELEANORJust like that. Forcing people doesn't work. They make bad listeners.

PRIYAWhy me?

ELEANORBecause on that memo you wrote a note in the margin. "He's frightened of someone." You were right. Nobody else saw it.

PRIYA...Who was he frightened of?

ELEANORAh. Now that's a question for the second coffee.

The Loading Dock

Detective, action · Young adult (18-25) · Neutral American · 90 seconds

Cast: NINASAM

A dark warehouse, whispered — Officers Nina Reyes, twenties, and Sam Whitlock, forties, crouch behind crates; Sam has been shot in the leg

NINASam. Sam, look at me.

SAMI'm looking. You've got a smudge on your nose.

NINAYou're bleeding a lot.

SAMIt's a leg. I've got another one.

NINABackup's four minutes out.

SAMThen we sit here four minutes. Nice and quiet.

NINAHe's still in here. By the loading dock.

SAMI know. I can hear him breathing. He's scared too.

NINAI'm not scared.

SAMGood. Lie to him like that, not to me.

NINA...I'm scared.

SAMThere she is. Belt.

NINAWhat?

SAMTake your belt off. Round my thigh, above the hole. Tight as you can.

NINALike this?

SAMTighter. Ow. Yes. Perfect. You'd make a terrible nurse and a fine cop.

NINAHe's moving.

SAMToward us?

NINAToward the door.

SAMLet him go.

NINASam, he shot you.

SAMAnd he'll be on the gate camera in thirty seconds. Chase him, and you're a rookie alone in the dark with a man who's already fired once. Stay, and we both go home.

NINAThat's not how it works in the movies.

SAMIn the movies the old partner dies on page ninety. Stay with me, Reyes. Tell me something boring.

NINA...My mom wants me to go to law school.

SAMPerfect. Keep going. That's the most boring thing I've heard all year.

Recross

Legal, cross-examination · Adult (40-55) · Neutral American · 2 minutes

Cast: KIMURAHOLLOWAY

A courtroom, afternoon — defence attorney Walt Kimura, fifties, cross-examines Detective Anne Holloway, forties, who found the murder weapon

KIMURADetective Holloway, how long have you worked homicide?

HOLLOWAYEleven years.

KIMURAHow many searches have you run in that time?

HOLLOWAYHundreds.

KIMURAAnd in hundreds of searches, how often have you found the weapon in the first ten minutes?

HOLLOWAYIt happens.

KIMURAHow often?

HOLLOWAYNot often.

KIMURAIn this case you found it in six. In a house of fourteen rooms. Behind a panel in the laundry room ceiling.

HOLLOWAYI'm thorough.

KIMURAYou went straight there. Officer Diaz testified that you walked past the kitchen, past the bedrooms, into the laundry room, and asked for a stepladder.

HOLLOWAYI'd seen that kind of hiding place before.

KIMURAWhere?

HOLLOWAYOther cases.

KIMURAName one.

HOLLOWAYI'd need to check my notes.

KIMURAYou didn't need notes on the day. Detective, did someone tell you where the gun was?

HOLLOWAY...We received information.

KIMURAFrom whom?

HOLLOWAYAn anonymous caller.

KIMURAAn anonymous caller. Is that call in your report?

HOLLOWAYNo.

KIMURAWhy not?

HOLLOWAYI was told it would compromise a source.

KIMURATold by whom?

HOLLOWAYMy lieutenant.

KIMURASo a person nobody in this room can name, question or see told you exactly where to look, in a house they had no reason to be inside.

HOLLOWAYI found the gun, Mr Kimura. Ballistics matched. It's the gun.

KIMURAI'm not asking whether it's the gun. I'm asking who put it there. Did you ever ask yourself that, Detective?

HOLLOWAY...Yes.

KIMURAWhen?

HOLLOWAYThe night I found it. I sat in my car outside that house for an hour.

KIMURAAnd what did you conclude?

HOLLOWAYThat it wasn't my job to wonder.

KIMURADo you still believe that?

HOLLOWAYNo. I believe I should have put the call in my report. I believe I should have asked who made it.

KIMURAThank you, Detective. I know that wasn't easy. Nothing further.

Line Two

Hostage negotiation · Mature (55+) · Neutral American · 2 minutes

Cast: JOANNEKATE

A hospital corridor, a phone patched to a locked office — negotiator Kate Mbeki, thirties, talks to Joanne Pratt, fifties, a night nurse who has locked herself in the director's office with the director

JOANNEIs this the negotiator?

KATEIt's Kate. I'm the one they sent to talk.

JOANNEYou sound young.

KATEI'm thirty-six. Everyone sounds young on these phones.

JOANNEI've been a nurse twenty-nine years. I can hear a lie in a pulse. Don't lie to me, Kate.

KATEOkay.

JOANNEHow long before they come through the door?

KATEI'm not going to answer that.

JOANNEThat's an answer.

KATEIt's the most honest one I've got. How's Dr Fenn?

JOANNEHe's sitting on his couch. His expensive couch. He's sweating through a very nice shirt.

KATEHas he got water?

JOANNEHe's got water. I'm a nurse. I'm not a monster.

KATEThen tell me what the monster did.

JOANNE...Four nurses for thirty patients on my ward. I wrote to him. Eleven letters. Eleven. And a man in bed nine died on Thursday because nobody could get to him for forty minutes.

KATEI'm sorry.

JOANNEHis name was Harold. He liked crosswords. He was waiting for me to help him with seven down.

KATEWhat do you want Dr Fenn to do, Joanne?

JOANNEI want him to read the letters. Out loud. On the record.

KATEI can't give you a news crew.

JOANNEI know you can't.

KATEBut I've got a recorder. And tonight I'm writing a report that goes to people who don't work for Dr Fenn.

JOANNEYou'd put them in?

KATEAll eleven. Open the door, and I'll come in myself and take them from your hand.

JOANNEAnd then they cuff me.

KATEThen they cuff you. I won't pretend they won't.

JOANNE...Harold's answer was "vigil." Seven down, five letters. I worked it out after.

KATETell me that on the way out. I'll write it down too.

JOANNECome by yourself.

KATEBy myself. Open the door, Joanne.

SFX: a lock turns

Fourteen Years

Detective, cold case · Mature (55+) · Neutral American · 2 minutes

Cast: LEONFRANK

A porch outside a rented house, a week after release — Frank Mercer, sixties, a retired detective; Leon Hardy, forties, who served fourteen years for a killing he didn't commit

LEONYou're on my porch.

FRANKI knocked. Nobody answered. I figured I'd wait.

LEONYou're good at making people wait.

FRANKI brought beer. Seemed like a thing a person brings.

LEONI don't drink. Haven't in fourteen years. Funny how that works.

FRANKI'll take it home, then.

LEONWhat do you want, Mercer?

FRANKI read about the appeal. The DNA.

LEONEverybody read about it. They put my picture on TV. Me at twenty-nine. I didn't recognise him.

FRANKI wanted to say it to your face. I was wrong.

LEONWrong, or was it easy? There's a difference. I had fourteen years to think about the difference.

FRANK...It was easy. You were there, you had a record, the witness picked you. My captain wanted it closed before the election. I didn't push.

LEONYou didn't push.

FRANKI had a feeling. About the witness. She looked at that lineup like she was reading a menu. I had the feeling and I let it go.

LEONMy mother died in year six. They let me go to the funeral in cuffs. I stood at the back with two guards, and everybody I grew up with watching.

FRANKI know.

LEONYou don't know. You weren't there.

FRANKI was. Across the road. In my car.

LEON...Why?

FRANKPenance. Cowardice. I sat there till it was over, drove home, and never told my wife where I'd been.

LEONYou want me to forgive you.

FRANKNo. That's not mine to want.

LEONThen what?

FRANKThe DNA gave them a name. He's in Arizona. The DA's dragging his feet. I've got fourteen years of notes nobody wanted, and a car, and nothing to do on Tuesdays.

LEONYou're asking me to go after him with you.

FRANKI'm asking if you'll let me finish the job I should have done.

LEON...Leave the beer.

FRANKYou said you don't drink.

LEONI don't. You look like you need one. Sit down. Slowly. I haven't decided about you yet.

The Guest Room

Domestic suspense · Adult (40-55) · Neutral American · 2 minutes

Cast: TOMRACHEL

A bedroom at midnight — Rachel, forties, sits on the bed holding a passport; her husband Tom, forties, comes in from brushing his teeth

TOMYou're still up.

RACHELI couldn't find the spare blanket. I looked in the guest room closet.

TOMIt's in the hall cupboard.

RACHELIt is. I found it after. First I found the shoebox.

TOMWhat shoebox?

RACHELThe one taped under the top shelf, Tom. With this in it.

TOM...Where did you get that?

RACHELI just told you. It's your face. It says Daniel Ward. Born in Ontario.

TOMRach. Put it down.

RACHELWho is Daniel Ward?

TOMIt's a gag gift. From a work party.

RACHELIt has stamps in it. Lisbon. Istanbul. Last March. You were in Denver last March. You brought me a snow globe from Denver.

TOMI was in Denver.

RACHELThe snow globe says "made in Portugal" on the bottom. I went downstairs and turned it over. Just now.

TOMKeep your voice down. The kids.

RACHELThe kids. Do the kids have other names too? Do I?

TOMRachel, listen. There are things about my work—

RACHELYou sell insurance software.

TOMThere are things about my work I can't tell you. I never lied about who I am. Only where I go.

RACHELWhere you go is who you are.

TOMI come home. Every time. That's the part that's real.

RACHELIs anyone going to come looking for Daniel Ward?

TOM...Why would you ask that?

RACHELBecause there's a car outside. It's been there since nine. Engine running. I thought it was the Kellys' son. It isn't.

TOMTurn the lamp off.

RACHELTom.

TOMTurn it off. Now. Get the kids' shoes. Don't touch the hall light.

RACHELYou said nobody would ever come.

TOMI never said that. You never asked.

Cold Kitchen

Spy · Mature (55+) · Neutral British · 2 minutes

Cast: VERAHOLLIS

A derelict farmhouse kitchen at dawn — Hollis, sixties, a handler, finds Vera, forties, his burned agent, at the table with a pistol in front of her

VERATook you long enough.

HOLLISThe roads are terrible. You picked a very inconvenient farmhouse.

VERAThat was the point. Sit where I can see your hands.

HOLLISMay I take my coat off?

VERANo.

HOLLISFair. How long have you been here?

VERAFour days. Tinned peaches and the radio telling me I'm dead.

HOLLISYes. That was us. Sorry. It seemed tidier.

VERATidier for who?

HOLLISFor whom. For everyone. For you, if you'll let it be.

VERALondon sent you.

HOLLISLondon doesn't know I'm here. London thinks I'm at my sister's in Norfolk.

VERAYou don't have a sister.

HOLLISLondon doesn't know that either.

VERATwenty years, Hollis. Twenty years, and someone gave my name away in an afternoon.

HOLLISI know.

VERAWas it you?

HOLLISNo. If it were me, I'd have sent a younger man, and I wouldn't have told him your coffee order.

VERA...What's in the bag?

HOLLISA passport, a ferry ticket, and a flask. Black, no sugar. Still?

VERAStill.

HOLLISThe passport's good for ten days. After that it's a very expensive bookmark.

VERAWho gave me up?

HOLLISYou won't like it.

VERAI haven't liked anything since Tuesday.

HOLLISMartin.

VERAMartin was at my wedding.

HOLLISMartin has debts, and a boat he can't afford, and he's been very sad for a long time. Nobody noticed. I noticed. Too late.

VERAWhat happens to him?

HOLLISNot your concern anymore. You're dead, remember.

VERAAnd you? When they find out you came?

HOLLISI'm sixty-three. They'll give me a small office and a nice pension. Drink your coffee, Vera. The ferry's at nine.

VERA...Come with me.

HOLLISI get seasick. Go on. I'll finish the peaches.

The Bell at Wandarra

Kidnapping · Adult (30-45) · Australian · 2 minutes

Cast: JESSMAN

A payphone outside a country petrol station, midnight — Jess, thirties, follows instructions from the man holding her brother Liam; the man, forties, is patient and polite

SFX: the payphone rings

JESSI'm here. I'm at the phone.

MANGood. You found it. Not many of these left.

JESSWhere's Liam?

MANSafe. Bored. He asked for a phone charger. I said no.

JESSI've got the money. It's in the boot. All of it.

MANI know. I watched you count it at the bank. Your lips move when you count. Anyone ever tell you that?

JESSWhat do you want me to do?

MANDrive north. Forty kilometres. There's a rest stop with a broken picnic table. Leave the bag under it.

JESSAnd then?

MANThen you drive home, put the kettle on, and wait. Liam walks through the door by breakfast. Tired, hungry, and very sorry for himself.

JESSHow do I know that?

MANYou don't. That's the unpleasant bit.

SFX: in the background of the call, a church bell, three times

JESS...What was that?

MANWhat was what?

JESSThe bell.

MANThere's no bell.

JESSThree times. That's St Brigid's at Wandarra. They ring it at midnight for old Mr Coates, because he rang it for fifty years. Everyone round here knows that.

MANYou're tired. You're confused. You've been driving all night, and people hear all sorts of things at midnight.

JESSI grew up two streets from that bell. You're not forty k north. You're in town. You want me on the highway so I'm not in town.

MANDrive north, Jess. I won't say it again.

JESSLiam used to hide in that bell tower when he was little. When Dad was drinking. Is that where he is? Is he in the tower?

MANStop talking.

JESSLiam! If you can hear this, it's the bell! I know where you are!

MANYou've made a mistake.

JESSNo. I think you have. You picked a town with a bell.

SFX: the receiver slams, a car door, an engine

The Long Interview

Interrogation · Adult (40-55) · Neutral American · 3 minutes

Cast: VOSSAARON

Interview room B, hour three — Detective Carla Voss, fifties, patient; Aaron Pell, thirties, whose wife Megan has been missing for six days

VOSSYou want another water?

AARONI want to go home. I've been here three hours. I've told you everything.

VOSSYou've told me a lot. Let's go through Friday one more time.

AARONFriday. Fine. I got home at six. Megan wasn't there. Her car was there. Her phone was on the counter.

VOSSAnd her purse?

AARONGone. Purse gone, phone there. Which is insane, because she never goes anywhere without that phone.

VOSSNever?

AARONNever. She sleeps with it. She takes it in the shower.

VOSSWhy do you think that is?

AARONI don't know. She likes her phone. Everyone likes their phone.

VOSSDoes it have a passcode?

AARON...Yeah.

VOSSDo you know it?

AARONOf course I know it. We're married. We don't have secrets.

VOSSSo you've looked at it. Since Friday.

AARONTo see who she'd called. Obviously. I'm trying to find my wife.

VOSSAnd who had she called?

AARONNobody. That's the thing. She'd deleted everything. Calls, messages. The whole week, gone.

VOSSThat must have upset you.

AARONIt scared me, Detective. Why would she delete everything?

VOSSWhat do you think?

AARONThat somebody made her. Somebody was threatening her.

VOSSSomeone she was afraid of.

AARONYes.

VOSSSomeone who checked her phone.

AARON...I don't like where this is going.

VOSSWhere do you think it's going, Aaron?

AARONYou think I did something to her. That's why I'm in here and not out there looking. You've got nothing. You don't have a body.

VOSSYou're right. We don't have a body.

AARONSo I can go.

VOSSWe don't have a body because Megan is alive.

AARON...What?

VOSSShe's alive. She's safe. She walked into a shelter forty miles from here on Friday afternoon, with her purse and no phone, because she knew you tracked it.

AARONWhere is she?

VOSSThat was fast.

AARONWhat?

VOSSSix days. You've been on the news, crying. You organised a search of the reservoir. I tell you your wife is alive, and the first thing out of your mouth isn't "thank God." It's "where is she."

AARONAnyone would ask that.

VOSSAnyone would ask it second.

AARONI want to see her.

VOSSShe doesn't want to see you. She gave us a statement. Eleven pages. Photographs. Dates. She's very organised, your wife. She had to be.

AARONShe's lying. She does this. She's unstable, she—

VOSSShe said you'd say that. Page three.

AARONI want a lawyer.

VOSSThat's the first smart thing you've said all afternoon. I'll get you a phone. You know how phones work, Aaron. You know them very well.

AARONYou can't keep me here.

VOSSI can for now. The photographs were enough for the judge. Sit down. I'll get you that water.

Safe House

Witness protection · Young adult (18-25) · Neutral American · 3 minutes

Cast: KAYLAEVAN

A rented cabin, witness protection, the third night — Kayla, twenties, a witness in a fraud trial; Deputy Marshal Evan Rourke, forties, her protection detail

KAYLAYou don't sleep either.

EVANPart of the job. Someone has to watch the door.

KAYLAThere are two other marshals outside.

EVANSomeone has to watch them watching the door. Tea?

KAYLAYou make terrible tea.

EVANI make consistent tea. That's different.

KAYLACan I ask you something?

EVANYou can ask.

KAYLAHow did they find the last place?

EVANWe don't know yet. We're looking into it.

KAYLAThe motel. Room fourteen. Nobody knew the room number but you, me and your boss.

EVANAnd the desk clerk.

KAYLAThe desk clerk thought I was your niece. You told him that.

EVANKayla, you've been through a lot. It's normal to feel—

KAYLADon't tell me what's normal. I testified against men who move money for people who kill people. Nothing's normal.

EVANFair.

KAYLAWhen that car pulled into the motel lot, you were already standing. Before the headlights. You were already at the window.

EVANI heard the engine.

KAYLAI didn't.

EVANI've got better ears. Twenty years of practice.

KAYLAAnd tonight you sent the other two to check the road. Both of them. You've never done that.

EVANThere was a report of a vehicle.

KAYLAFrom who?

EVANFrom dispatch.

KAYLAI've been sitting next to the radio all night. It hasn't made a sound.

EVAN...Sit down, Kayla.

KAYLAI'm fine standing.

EVANPlease. Sit down. You're making this harder.

KAYLAMaking what harder?

EVANI have a daughter. She's nineteen. She's at college in Ohio. Three weeks ago a man sent me a photograph of her walking to class. From behind. That's all it was. A photograph from behind.

KAYLASo you gave them me.

EVANI gave them a room number. I told myself the others would stop it. They nearly did.

KAYLAAnd tonight?

EVANTonight I sent the others to the road because I couldn't do it with them watching. And now I've told you, and I can't do it at all. I sat here an hour with the tea going cold, and I can't.

KAYLAThen what happens now?

EVANNow you take my keys. The truck's round the back. There's a number in the glove box. A woman in the Denver field office who's honest and hates me. Call her from the road.

KAYLAAnd your daughter?

EVANI called her an hour ago. She's with campus police. She's furious. She thinks I'm being paranoid.

KAYLAAnd you?

EVANI'll wait here with the lights on and the door unlocked. Someone should answer it when they come. Go, Kayla.

KAYLA...Your tea really is terrible.

EVANConsistent. Go.

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Thriller duet & multi-cast scripts