A Screenplay By: Edward O'Toole

DELIVERED
A Screenplay
By:
Edward O'Toole
NON SERVIAM
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Edward O'Toole Delivered 2.
COPYRIGHT © 2006 BY EDWARD O'TOOLE. ALL RIGHTS

RESERVED.
First Draught 2001
First Edition 2006
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means without the
prior written permission of the publisher, nor be
otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover
other than that in which it is published and without a
similar condition being imposed on the subsequent
purchaser.
All characters in this publication are fictitious and

any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is
purely coincidental.
Thanks to Pyxiedust for editorial comments
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FADE IN:
EXT: CAR, REMOTE COUNRTY ROAD, NIGHT
A dark blue, late-model Passat estate pushes its way

through the night. Rain, in sheets, hammers on the
bonnet and windscreen as the 2-liter engine vehicle
clings to the dark, drenched road leading from the
metropolis to the back of beyond. The car's occupants,
a young couple in their mid twenties, appear to be a
well-matched pair. As the occasional bolt of lighting
tears through the sky, their faces and clothing are
revealed.
INT: CAR, CONTINUOUS
The driver, HAROLD MENKHART – a 29 year old junior

advertising exec – is good looking in a non-Hollywood
way; the sort a mother would be proud to display in
public, but who wouldn't make it as a starring role.
His clothing betrays a middle class upbringing and a
predilection for the better high street men's shops. He
is wearing a heavy pullover with the collar of a tartan
shirt lifted high to his chin beneath. His hands,
GRIPPING THE STEERING WHEEL
As he strives to maintain the car's hold of the wet

road, are medium sized and show none of the marks that
would be present if he'd ever had to use them for a
living.
The passenger, KATHLEEN Granger,
LOOKS OUT OF HER SIDE WINDOW,
into the stormy night. She, too, is averagely good

looking, and her cheekbones give her an elf-like
appearance. Her hair, blonde and mostly pinned back in
a ponytail, seems alive as she constantly sweeps back
falling strands from her face.
HER HANDS ARE SLENDER
– a pianists – and, unlike her fiancé's, are beginning

to show the stress of their daily routine at the
potter's wheel.
With the radio silenced, the sound of rain falling

fills the car. The quiet between the pair is
exaggerated by the annoying tone of water on metal. An
argument, a common occurrence between partners and
lovers, has taken place. HAROLD, or HARRY as he prefers
to be called, is not amused by the situation he finds
himself in.
HARRY
Picture a man, going on a journey
beyond sight and sound. We join
HAROLD MENKHART as he steps… into
the In-Law Zone.
KATHLEEN
Knock it off, HARRY.
HARRY chooses to ignore his fiancée's wish; instead, he

begins whistling a well-known theme tune between his
teeth.
KATHLEEN makes as if to say something further, but

decides against it. She turns back to her staring out
of the rain-lashed window; at this exact moment, the
monotony of a downpour is more interesting than a
recurrent disagreement.
A thought springs up in her mind and she reaches for

the vanity light.
HARRY
(Tutting, removing a
hand from the wheel
and extinguishing
the light.)
Can you not do that? I can't see
where I'm going.
KATHLEEN
I need to check the map.
HARRY shakes his head, and then opens the glove

compartment with his still-free hand. The plastic
drawer falls and lands on KATHLEEN's knee.
HARRY
There's a Maglite in there
somewhere.
KATHLEEN looks in disgust at the sweet wrappers, empty

cigarette packets and other junk that fills the
courtesy space.
KATHLEEN
I thought you said you'd cleaned
the car?
HARRY
I did. Check the floor. Spotless.
KATHLEEN sighs and risks a rummage through the junk.

HARRY (CONT.)
You found it?
KATHLEEN
(Shakes her head,
holding up a
penknife)
Jesus, HARRY. Something could
evolve in here.
HARRY takes a long look at the road ahead, making sure

that no curves are looming, then reaches his hand down
into the opened tray. A few seconds of wrapper-noisy
searching later, he withdraws his hand and drops a
cylindrical, metal object into KATHLEEN's lap.
HARRY
(Grinning. Impressed
with himself)
See? Told you it was in there.
(Knocking down a
gear as the estate
begins its approach
to a long, steep
hill.
Still don't understand why you need
a map.
Beat
They're your parents.
Beat
It's a good job we've still got
almost a full tank of gas…
KATHLEEN switches on the torch by twisting its small

head and begins inspecting the Ordnance Survey. She
flicks a loose strand of her hair from her face.
KATHLEEN
Are you being chauvinistic?
HARRY
What?
KATHLEEN
Are you implying that if I'd been
male I'd have instinctively known
directions?
HARRY
Katty…
KATHLEEN
Maybe I don't share the same
abilities as a drone-bee, but that
doesn't mean…
HARRY
Forget it, all right?
(Catches a glimpse
of KATHLEEN's hand
in the thin torch
beam.)
Where's your ring?
KATHLEEN
What ring?
HARRY
Katty…. That band of gold with half
of South Africa dumped on top.
KATHLEEN
(Laughs. Sounding
shallow)
Oh, that ring.
HARRY
(Shaking head)
I don't know why we're bothering to
visit your parents if you don't
even have the decency to wear it.
KATHLEEN
HARRY, I just think that we should
speak to them first.
Beat
They'll come around to the idea,
but we shouldn't force it down
their throats.
HARRY bites his lip, then reaches for a cigarette in

the map pocket beside his seat. He pushes the dashboard
lighter in and waits for it to pop.
KATHLEEN
(Watching HARRY as
he lights his
cigarette and blows
a smoke ring.)
You do understand, don't you?
HARRY
Understand what, Katty? We've been
living together for three years.
KATHLEEN
Two years and eight months.
KATHLEEN's face shows a modicum of concern, a secret

revealed.
HARRY
(Spotting KATHLEEN's
deceptive look.)
You have told them we're living
together?
KATHLEEN
(Sighs)
They're a bit old fashioned.
Beat
They know we've been dating…
HARRY
(Astounded)
Dating? You sure you didn't tell
them we've been stepping out?
KATHLEEN
Please don't do this HARRY; not
everyone's parents were at
Woodstock.
HARRY
(Takes a long drag
of his cigarette,
and then stubs it
out in the
ashtray.)
I presume, then, that we'll be in
separate rooms?
KATHLEEN
(Turns back to the
window. She
switches off torch,
allowing herself to
fade back into the
darkness.)
You need to look for a sign saying
'Dareham'.
Beat
It should be where this road
crosses the blacktop.
HARRY
You didn't answer my question.
KATHLEEN
Maybe it was rhetorical.
HARRY removes his hand from the wheel and switches on

the vanity light. The contrast to the previous darkness
is blinding. The road beyond the confines of the car
becomes invisible; the rain drops mirrors and rainbows.
HARRY
(Looking at
KATHLEEN.)
Katty, I don't want to go through
with this…
KATHLEEN
If you really loved me, HARRY…
As HARRY reaches his hand towards the gear stick,

aiming to bring the car to a halt so that he can speak
further on the matter, another source of light – a car
fast approaching from the opposite lane with
HEADLIGHTS ON FULLBEAM
– swerves across the road. HARRY swings his head back

from looking at KATHLEEN just in time to observe that
impact is inevitable. He vainly raises his hands to
guard his face as the two cars
SMASH
bonnet to bonnet.
INT: PRIVATE WARD, HOSPITAL, DAY
Voices, garbled, incoherent, distant. The man struggles

to open his eyes to identify their source. As his
eyelids painfully creep open, his pupils contract as
they try to focus in the whiteness of his surroundings.
The man listens for the sound of rain, but finds it

non-apparent. Perhaps it has ceased?
He tries again with his eyes, and then with his

fingers. He can't be certain but it appears that
something is covering his skin – a scaly drape that
burns as he moves a digit minutely.
As his eyes began to adapt to their surroundings, the

man is shocked to find that it isn't headlights, or
even a torch causing the glow. With blurred vision he
can make out that he is in a room. At the edge of his
vision he can see a window. Outside, the sky is blue;
light blue. It is day.
WOMAN'S VOICE (OS)

Oh my God! He's awake!
The man tries to move his head to the side to look at

the owner of the voice.
OLD MAN'S VOICE (OS)
(Well-schooled,
nasal tone))
Please try not to move, HAROLD.
Just relax.
MAN/HAROLD
(Croaky)
Where am I?
WOMAN (OS)
(She makes a
guttural whimper)
Oh, Blessed is the Lord! You're
here, HAROLD. Here with us! You're
safe now.
OLD MAN (OS)

(Coughs, as if
embarrassed by the
woman)
MARGARET, he doesn't know where he
is.
Beat
HAROLD, you're in the hospital.
We're KATHLEEN's parents.
MAN/HAROLD
(Trying to remember.
Nothing seems
clear.
KATHLEEN?
Suddenly, the woman lets out a cry, and runs out of the
room, mumbling apologies.
OLD MAN/KATHLEEN'S FATHER (OS)

(Coughs, clears
throat)
Poor woman's never been able to
stand up to this sort of emotion.
Beat
You've been through a lot, HAROLD.
Rest now, and we'll talk later.
Still unable to turn his head to look at his host,

HAROLD allows his parched eyelids to close. His mouth
and throat feel dry; he runs his tongue across his lips
and then his gums. He finds several gaps where teeth
should be.
With the sound of the man's footsteps on linoleum

slowly fading away, HAROLD lets himself lose
consciousness.
Three names, MARGARET, KATHLEEN and HAROLD swim through
his mind but he isn't sure why.
INT: PRIVATE WARD, HOSPITAL, DAY - LATER
The sound of ice clinking in a glass, and a spoon in a

bowl of soup, brings HAROLD back to the world of the
awake. He listens while a tray is placed near to him,
presumably on a cupboard or table.
DAY NURSE (OS)

I've brought you some food.
Homemade chicken soup…
HAROLD
(Smiles)
MARGARET?
MARGARET (OS)
Praise Be!
MARGARET sobs loudly and runs out of the room.
DAY NURSE (OS)

(Leaving)
(RE: MARGARET) I'd better go and
see if she's okay.
HARRY ignores MARGARET's antics and smells the broth's

aroma so close to him. In Pavlovian response, his
stomach grumbles. God, he is hungry.
HARRY tries to move his hand, and finds that his

fingers are responding, if somewhat robotically. He
still can't shake the sense of reptilian skin, and he
shudders involuntarily. With concerted effort, he
raises his right hand until his palm lies flat on the
bed, but his forearm is at an angle. He grits his
lessened teeth and pushes himself up. As pain scores
through his body, he hears the door open and the old
man rush in.
OLD MAN (OS)

My God, HAROLD! Don't torture
yourself! Let us do that for you!
Racked in agony, eyes tight shut, HARRY feels the man

gently, but firmly grab him and help him into a sitting
position. HARRY feels his own heart as it pounds inside
his frame and pushes the vessels on his head.
OLD MAN (OS CONT.)

Here, HAROLD…
HARRY is leant forward and then allowed to lie back,

finding a pillow behind him, keeping him at a more or
less 90-degree angle.
OLD MAN (OS. CONT.)
How does that feel, young man?
HARRY
(Taking a deep
breath)
Good, thank you.
HARRY waits for his muscles to stop contracting and for

his heart to settle before opening his eyes again.
The view that awaits him is the fuzzy image of an

elderly man, dressed in a burgundy cardigan. White hair
– what is left of it – is carefully parted, and a
yellow stained moustache adds to the wrinkled features.
HARRY grins, even as his cheeks sear in pain from the
effort. In return, the man smiles also, and then places
his hand on HARRY's.
OLD MAN
That's the spirit! Face the world
with a smile!
The old man's words are laced with a hidden meaning.

HARRY wonders what exactly is going on. He tries to
remember the last conversation they'd had. Everything
is so hard to place. His mind is a jumble of fragments,
faces, sounds; nothing seems concrete.
HARRY
(Unsure. Recalling
name)
MARGARET?
OLD MAN
(Frowning. Not the
name he'd expected)
She'll be back soon.
HARRY
(Recalling other
name)
KATHLEEN?
Ah! A reaction. The old man looks to his side. What is

wrong? The old man coughs and clears his throat again.
HARRY wonders if he'd been a public speaker at some
point in his long life, whoever the hell he is.
OLD MAN
I think you should get better
first, and then we can talk about…
KATHLEEN.
HARRY
(Not having a clue
what is going on,
nods.)
Whatever you think's best.
OLD MAN
(Smiles, but not
with happiness)
She did choose well, that girl.
(Old man looks away,
then raises a
gnarled hand to his
eyes.)
I'm sorry, you shouldn't see me
like this.
HARRY closes his eyes, though not from compassion, just

from the exertion of keeping them open. The sterile
room in which he's found himself is getting to him; the
overhead fluorescent lighting lashes at his senses.
HARRY
I'm hungry.
OLD MAN
(Pleased to avoid
his earlier
weakness)
Of course! That's good. You'll need
your strength.
The old man coughs again and moves to HARRY's side.

HARRY listens to the tray being lifted then feels its
weight on his lap. He opens his eyes.
An uncomfortable pause. What does the old man want? Why

is he staring at him so?
Ah! HARRY looks at the soup bowl. The old man is

holding the spoon in a half disgusted, half expectant
manner.
HARRY
(Shaking his head.)
I'd like to try…
OLD MAN
(Smiles, almost
gratefully)
That's the spirit. I'll leave you
to it…
True to his word, the old man leaves the room, quietly
closing the door behind him.
HARRY shakes his head. Something very strange is going
on. Even though he finds it difficult to remember
anything, he is sure that he doesn't know the old
couple, but they obviously know him. For the moment, he
resigns himself to the torture of eating, and
concentrates solely on that.
HARRY gingerly moves his hand to take the spoon. With

every ounce of his will, he guides his limb over to the
bowl, his eyes rolling in their sockets while he does
so.
He feels the metal, warm to the touch, and breathes a

sigh of relief. He looks down to the bowl…
And SCREAMS.
HARRY shoots upright, his knees rising and flinging the

tray, sending the soup bowl flying. As he continues to
scream, the bowl
SHATTERS
on the floor and the spoon bounces noisily.
The door swings open, and the old man and Day NURSE
rush in.
OLD MAN
(Eyes wide with
fear)
HAROLD, what is it?
DAY NURSE tries to get HARRY to lay back against his

pillow while collecting the flung crockery and cutlery.
HARRY stares at his own hand, hyperventilating as he

looks at the skinless, charred flesh, the crooked
fingers. His forearm too is burned. With superhuman
strength, he flings back the duvet and gapes at his
legs, poking out from beneath a man's nightshirt. They
too, are black and blistered.
HARRY
Oh my God! Oh My God! Oh my God!
HARRY vomits bile, then collapses unconscious.
ONE WEEK PASSES

EXT: STREET, BIG CITY, EVENING
The house, one of many identical on the pre-war estate,

has been hit by a media blitz. Through the autumn rain,
and the evening darkness, tower lights blaze at the
front door, onto the garden, even into the neighboring
properties. A helicopter circles overhead, its search
beam illuminating the surroundings while its rotor
blades humm. Police cars, their lights flashing, line
both sides of the street, and policemen are everywhere.
Yellow 'Do Not Cross' tape stretches between lampposts
and telegraph poles, between hedges and post boxes.
Crowds of people wearing everything from raincoats to
nighties stand hesitantly behind the police zone,
getting pissed on from the heavens above.
The front door opens and the collective beast of the

crowd crackles in anticipation. Journalists, reporters,
anchormen and women, photographers, all dart forward to
be first in line; their microphones, dictaphones and
cameras spearheading the charge. Armed police form a
protective line, linking arms to withstand the
invasion. Bulbs flash incessantly, reporters speak at
cameras while a face appears at the door.
The general consensus is 'She's coming out!'
The young woman, hypothermic face belatedly covered

with a blanket, is lifted by two masked policeman and
run to an awaiting van. As the media hustles towards
the escapees, flinging questions and camera flashes,
the van door is shut, and the vehicle mobilized.
The white van screeches into the night, turning the

corner at the end of the street, leaving the media to
search for their answers in the police remaining.
HARRY blinks at the portable television set that

ALBERT, the old man, has set up in the room. He watches
the spectacle with bored interest.
The door opens and HAROLD curses under his breath at

the constant lack of privacy. He doesn't need to turn
to feel ALBERT's presence to his side; the smell of
stale pipe tobacco and ancient cologne are unmissable.
OLD MAN/ALBERT
(RE: TV News report)
That poor, poor girl.
Beat
Wait until you've got one of your
own and then you'll understand.
HARRY
(Surprised by
ALBERT's interest,
lowers the volume
with the remote.)
How do you mean?
ALBERT
That could have been our KATHLEEN
in that cellar.
HAROLD, after having heard KATHLEEN's name seldom used

over the previous week, is tempted to make another
enquiry into just where the woman is. He's deduced that
he'd been in some sort of relationship with her, and
that she was ALBERT and MARGARET's daughter. Where she
is, is a mystery; although by the way MARGARET keeps
bolting from the room in tears, HAROLD is fairly sure
the girl didn't survive the crash.
He chooses to try another line of conversation instead.
HARRY
The rePORTER said she's the first
they've found. That girl, I mean.
ALBERT
(Coughs)
The first they've found alive.
Beat
There's some evil in this world.
HARRY, after having watched the same news and its

analysis repeated throughout the day, feels that he is
on sound footing.
HARRY
They say it's a serial killer.
ALBERT
(Chuckle-snorting
through his nose)
They used to call them Stranger
Killers.
Beat
That girl said anything yet?
HARRY, beginning to answer 'no', sees some activity on

the screen; he increases the volume.
The reporter, a fairly attractive but overly made-up
thirty-something in a trench coat, begins spieling
tabloid journalese about the miraculous escape of
Jennifer Fowler, who, at present, is helping the police
with their enquiries; specifically in the assembly of a
computer generated identikit of her abductor.
The reporter finishes her information, though not the

rest of her coverage, by repeating the tired phrase:
REPORTER (ON SCREEN)

The Police have no comment for the
moment but will be holding a Press
Briefing in the morning.
ALBERT
(Snorts again.)
They'll never catch him.
HARRY
(Raises his
eyebrows,
painfully.)
Why not?
ALBERT
He'll have flown to the continent.
He's not going to go back home now,
is he?
HARRY is unsure how to reply; ALBERT clearly has little

concept of behavioral science.
HARRY
ALBERT, don't you think she might
be in danger? This Jennifer girl?
He's not going to allow a witness
to walk around talking about him.
ALBERT
He'll have run.
HARRY lets his breath slowly escape from between his
charred lips. He closes his eyes and listens as ALBERT
leaves the room, closing the door behind him.
HAROLD is desperate to go home, wherever that is; the

constant attention of the elderly couple, even the
NURSEs, is driving him insane.
He opens his eyes and pulls himself up to a higher

sitting position. The skin is slowly healing on his
face and trunk, and the swelling on his legs is
lessening. Apart from his right hand, there is nothing
about him that a good plastic surgeon can't fix and, if
he is the advertising executive that ALBERT and
MARGARET claim him he is, he should be able to afford
that.
HAROLD lowers the volume on the television, allowing
the songbirds outside to permeate into the room, and
contemplates trying to get out of bed. More than
anything else, the bedpan routine is the most
humiliating. He slowly turns his head to the side.
His mouth and eyes open wide with
FEAR, SHOCK AND REVULSION.
Standing, not two feet from the bed is a girl. Or, what
had once been a girl.
Long blonde hair, matted and dirty, falls over a

bloodied white nightie. The gruesome figure holds both
of her arms towards him; both hands are missing and the
muscle, flesh and bone of her wrists is rotten and
fungus-ridden. Her lips look like they had been sliced
off, giving her an open-mouth revealing missing teeth
and blackened gums. Her eyes, or the remnants of
aqueous humus, have seeped out of their sockets like a
jelly, and dried on the bleached skin of her
cheekbones.
HAROLD whimpers in terror. He wants to scream and call

ALBERT, but finds himself unable to move.
The girl begins to speak, her voice lisping and plum-

full with her lack of lips and bloated tongue.
DEAD GIRL
We're tired. Tell them where we
are.
HARRY desperately wants the creature to leave. Its

stench is overpowering. The sound of blackbirds and
sparrows chittering in the garden has disappeared. The
room feels muggy and silent, and he can hear his own
heart beating.
DEAD GIRL (CONT.)

are.
HARRY
What?
HAROLD doesn't wait for an answer. He shuts his eyes

tight, and begins counting to ten in hushed tones. He
reaches the final number and opens his eyes.
The creature has gone.
Instantly, as if on cue, the sound of voices and doors

closing erupts from the corridor outside.
HAROLD strains to listen, glad to have something else
to occupy his mind. Footsteps resound on floor and
approach his door. They stop. Whispering voices, male
and female, taunt HAROLD with their quietness. The door
opens.
PETER
HARRY, mate! Don't get up!
HARRY looks on in confusion as a youngish man steps

towards him and stands at the end of the bed.
PETER (CONT.)
It's me, HARRY, PETER.
The youngish man, a little paunchy and with a mop of

brown hair, grins. HARRY evaluated the stranger's face
closely, noticing that the eyes do not share the
enthusiasm of the smiling mouth; they reflect
revulsion.
HARRY
PETER?
PETER looks towards the doorway where, presumably,

ALBERT and his wife are waiting.
PETER
(Speaking to
doorway)
See! I told you he'd remember me!
PETER looks back at his injured friend. He grins and

HARRY returns the gesture.
HARRY
I'm not pleasant to look at, am I?
PETER
HARRY, you never were mate. When
are you getting up and out?
HARRY
(Sighing)
Better ask ALBERT and MARGARET.
ALBERT (OS)
(Clears throat)
Soon, HAROLD. You'll be well enough
to go home soon.
PETER nods, as if expecting such an answer. ALBERT and

his wife edge away and leave the friends a moment of
privacy.
PETER
(Waiting until door
is closed)
No offense, HARRY… I know you've
been through a lot, but… you do
look different without eyebrows and
hair.
Beat
It'll take some getting used to.
HARRY
(Purses lips, not
caring what this
stranger thinks)
What happened, PETER? The crash…
ALBERT avoids talking about it.
PETER
Haven't the police visited?
HARRY
No. No they haven't.
Beat
They've probably spoken with ALBERT
and MARGARET though
PETER
They will, if only to clear up the
insurance.
PETER pulls up a chair next to the bed, in the same

spot where the creature had been only minutes before.
He gestures to a freshly laid tray on the cabinet.
PETER (CONT.)
Can I get you anything?
HARRY
(Shaking head)
Just tell me…
PETER
(Takes deep breath)
What can I say? You hit another car
head on. Or, more probably, he hit
you.
HARRY
Who did I hit?
PETER
Some salesman.
HARRY
Is he…?
PETER
Dead? 'Fraid so. His car was burned
out completely. You were lucky to
have been flung clear. Straight
through the windshield.
Beat
It looks like he hit his
windscreen, knocked it out, but
fell back in.
HARRY
KATHLEEN?
PETER
They haven't told you?
HARRY
(Shakes head)
Is she dead?
PETER
No. She's in a coma. Pretty bad
state.
(Looks away)
I'm sorry mate.
The room fills again with birdsong.
HARRY
PETER, do you believe in ghosts?
PETER
(Looking back at
HARRY)
Do I what?
HARRY
Ghosts…
PETER
(Gives HARRY a look
of sympathy)
You're still traumatized, HARRY.
Post-traumatic shock.
( Stands,
uncomfortable with
conversation)
I brought you some magazines. I'll
tell the others at work that you'll
be back soon. They'll want to lay
on a do for you.
HARRY
I'm in advertising…
PETER
(Frowns)
Yes, HARRY, you are.
(Begins edging
towards door)
You get yourself better and I'll
see you soon.
HARRY
Thanks for coming.
PETER
Anytime, HARRY.
Beat
Look, I'll leave my business card
by the phone here. If you need
anything…
PETER leaves and HAROLD finds himself staring at his

empty seat.
EXT: PATIENT'S GARDEN, HOSPITAL, DAY
The garden matches the hospital perfectly (at least

from the outside); neat English hedgerow surrounding
well-tended lawn and rose beds. The Victorian mansion
that is now a private hospital looms behind, brickwork
darkened from a century's elements.
HARRY is sitting in a wheelchair (which has been pushed

by ALBERT), a glass of freshly squeezed supermarket
orange juice in his hand, a straw between his lips.
The autumn sun permits little warmth, but the fresh air
is what HAROLD is seeking. Blackbirds tug at worms in
the lawn, while tits forage for nest material.
The sound of tires on gravel brings HAROLD out of his

bliss. A car door closes and footsteps round the corner
of the hospital. A gate creaks open and closed and the
footsteps continue.
HAROLD listens as ALBERT addresses another stranger.
Soon they are standing before HAROLD, the thin sun

behind the new stranger's back, making him into a
silhouette. HAROLD squints to take the man in properly;
he is wearing a cheap suit.
DETECTIVE LINES
HAROLD MENKHART? I'm DETECTIVE
LINES.
Beat
You don't mind if we have a chat?
HARRY
(Shakes head, allows
straw to drop from
his mouth)
Not at all, but I doubt if I'll be
able to help much. I still haven't
got my memory back.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Smiles, as if
expecting such a
remark)
I've already spoken to the
hospital; they told me.
(Pulls up white
painted, cast iron
garden chair and
sits down. Ignores
ALBERT, who's
lingering behind)
Sometimes, talking about an event
can help get the brain working
again, you know, if you look at it
objectively, from a distance, you
might be able to piece it back
together.
HARRY
Objectively…
DETECTIVE LINES
Yes.
(Withdraws notebook
from his jacket
pocket and flicks
through it.)
Your tox report is clean, no blood-
alcohol traces; no drugs.
HARRY
(Surprised)
Drugs? I don't think I take drugs…
DETECTIVE LINES
(Smiles)
It's just a routine check, Mr.
MENKHART. You'd be surprised how
many do.
HARRY
(Shrugs)
And the other driver?
DETECTIVE LINES
(Sucks air through
his teeth.)
There wasn't enough left of him to
check.
HARRY
(Thinks)
That's impossible. A body requires
several thousand degrees centigrade
at a sustained rate for quite a
period of time to burn completely.
Both the Detective and HAROLD himself are surprised at

his revelation.
DETECTIVE LINES
That may be so sir, but that's what
happened.
HARRY
Do you know whose fault the crash
was?
DETECTIVE LINES
We believe it was the other
driver's due to the positioning of
the vehicles.
(Looks at notebook
but has clearly
memorized the
incident.)
It was bad weather that night; it
was probably an accident.
Beat
He might have aquaplaned.
HARRY
So how can I help you? You seem to
know everything…
DETECTIVE LINES
(Smiles)
Something came up when we were
checking the other vehicle. Luckily
for us, the collision sent one of
the number plates off into the
road. Combined with the chassis
number, we ran the vehicle through
our database.
HARRY
(Frowns, suspects
DETECTIVE LINES is
leading to
something)
Are you saying that you know… knew
this man?
DETECTIVE LINES
We didn't, but we'd liked to have
spoken to him.
HARRY
Why?
DETECTIVE LINES
(Leans back in chair
and looks around
garden. He looks
back at HAROLD.)
Did you know him, sir?
HARRY
What?
DETECTIVE LINES
We have an odd coincidence on our
hands. His name was Derek Miles,
and he lived at 114 Reel Street.
(Pauses. No reaction
from HARRY)
You live at 118 Reel Street. Ergo,
you must have known him.
HARRY
Detective, I can't even remember
who I am, never mind someone who
crashed into me with his lights on
full beam…
Realization hits in. HAROLD has remembered. He closes

his eyes and allows the memory to flood back.
FLASHBACK:
INT: CAR, NIGHT

We can only see that outside it's dark, rain is lashing
the windshield. Suddenly,
BRIGHT HEADLIGHTS
Fill our vision and we hear the screeching of brakes

and the
CRASH
Of the two cars.
END FLASHBACK
HARRY opens his eyes and finds Lines staring at him

inquisitively.
DETECTIVE LINES
Coming back to you, sir?
HARRY
I… I think I remember the crash…
DETECTIVE LINES
Go on…
HARRY closes his eyes again, permitting the present to

fade away. He listens to the sound of his own voice,
distant, as he recalls the fateful evening.
HARRY
(Distant sounding
voice)
I was driving in my car. I was in a
hurry.
Beat
I needed to be somewhere.
ALBERT (OS)
You were coming here HAROLD. With
KATHLEEN.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Hushes ALBERT)
Go on, Mr MENKHART
HARRY feels himself slip into the past once more.
FLASHBACK:
INT: CAR, NIGHT
He finds himself sitting in his car, radio playing

quietly. He is humming to himself and tapping the
steering wheel.
Suddenly, another car swerves across the road,
headlights on full beam. HARRY moves his hands to
protect his face.
The cars slam together. HARRY is thrown through the

windshield with extreme force.
He can hear a woman screaming. KATHLEEN?
He doesn't stop. He keeps moving forward, through the

air. He opens his eyes slightly and sees another man,
flying past him. HARRY crashes through the windshield
of the second car. His body feels numb, but he manages
to clamber out onto the road. He collapses.
FLASHBACK ENDS
EXT: KATHLEEN'S PARENTS' GARDEN, AS BEFORE
HARRY opens his eyes and finds himself back in the

garden, his heart beating fast.
DETECTIVE LINES
Do you remember anything else, sir?
HARRY thinks. Where is the detective leading with this?

HARRY looks to his side.
The mutilated girl is standing beside ALBERT, her arm

stumps pointing at HAROLD.
DEAD GIRL
(Only HARRY can see
or hear her)
are.
HARRY
(Terrified. Looks to
DETECTIVE LINES,
who merely raises
an eyebrow)
Can't you see her?
DETECTIVE LINES
(Humoring HARRY)
See who, sir?
HARRY
(looking back at
Dead girl)
The girl! Look at her!
DETECTIVE LINES
I'm very sorry, sir, but I can't
see…
ALBERT
(Moves forward and
places a hand
gently on
detective's
shoulder.)
Detective, perhaps you can come
back another day? HAROLD's been
through enough…
DETECTIVE LINES
(Looks as though he
has more to say,
but closes his
mouth and nods)
Very good, sir.
DETECTIVE LINES (CONT.)
(Looks at fear-
stricken HAROLD,
still mesmerized by
the specter.)
I'll try again tomorrow, Mr.
MENKHART. Have a think and see if
anything comes back to you tonight.
HAROLD nods, only half hearing the policeman's words;

his eyes fixed on the rotting figure.
INT: PRIVATE WARD, HOSPITAL, NIGHT
HAROLD wakes with a start. The bedroom is dark and the

curtains closed. His skin feels clammy and his heart is
beating fast. He quickly looks about him, expecting to
see the ghoul. Nothing.
He hoists himself up and reaches for the bedside

cabinet. He takes the portable phone and PETER's
business card. With shaking, disfigured hand, he dials
PETER's number. The phone rings and rings, the dial
tone loud in the silent room.
PETER (OS, FILTERED)

(Voice sleep-laden)
Yes?
HARRY
PETER, it's me. HARRY.
PETER
Beat
HARRY?
Beat
HARRY, it's three o'clock in the
morning. What do you want?
HARRY
I need to speak to you. I've just
had a nightmare.
PETER
Christ, HARRY. Go back to sleep.
I've got work in the morning.
HARRY
No, PETER, I need to talk now.
PETER
Beat
Okay, HARRY. What's wrong?
HARRY
Remember I asked if you believe in
ghosts?
PETER
Oh not again, HARRY…
HARRY
I'm serious. I keep seeing this…
this…
Beat
It's a girl, but she's been hacked
or something.
PETER
I don't want to hear this, HARRY.
HARRY
Please, PETER. She keeps telling me
to 'tell them', whatever the hell
that means.
PETER
It's probably a distorted memory,
some unconscious guilt you're
feeling for KATHLEEN's coma.
Beat
The crash wasn't your fault…
HARRY
(Sighs, impatiently)
It's not that…
PETER
Beat
You know your voice sounds strange?
You don't sound like you used to.
HARRY
I'm not exactly in prime condition
at the moment, PETER.
Beat
Please…
PETER
Okay, HARRY. I'm listening.
HARRY
This girl, she's been mutilated.
She's dead. She keeps telling me
she's tired.
PETER
(Laughs)
Dead tired?
HARRY
It's not funny. I think she wants
me to help her.
PETER
She's a ghost HARRY… no, forget I
said that. Now, you've got me
talking about ghosts! There's no
such thing.
Beat
Go back to sleep HARRY. Maybe ask
your doctor for some medication.
HARRY
I need to find out who she is, or
was.
PETER
Right. Next time she appears, why
don't you ask her?
Beat
HARRY, can I go back to sleep now?
Call me when you're better.
HARRY listens as the dial tone sounds. He holds the

device for a while, as the beeping continues, then
switches it off.
INT: PRIVATE WARD, HOSPITAL DAY
DAY NURSE is feeding HARRY with a spoon. In the

background we can hear the TV on.
The door opens and in walks a young woman – pretty,

blonde – carrying a bouquet of flowers. HARRY instantly
feels self-conscious about being fed. He glares at the
NURSE, who nods understandingly and moves away.
AMY (KATHLEEN'S SISTER)

(Nervous, a little
unsure)
Are you HARRY MENKHART?
HARRY
Apparently…
AMY
Then these are for you, you
bastard!
AMY throws the flowers at HARRY, who's unable to defend

himself very well.
HARRY
What the?
AMY
You put my sister in a coma, you
bastard!
AMY storms out the room, leaving HARRY gobsmacked.
Day NURSE reenters and sees the mess. She goes to clean
it up.
DAY NURSE
Oh my!
HARRY
(Stunned)
She thinks I'm responsible…
DAY NURSE
That's for the police to decide.
Beat
I'll have a word to the Porters –
make sure she doesn't bother you
anymore.
The door reopens and both HARRY and NURSE look up,
expecting another tirade from AMY.
We see PETER standing in the doorway, viewing the mess.
PETER
(Holding a brown
paper bag, as if to
justify his
presence, while
gesturing at the
mess)
Whoa, cowboy! Who opened up the can
of whoop ass?
HARRY
AMY, KATHLEEN's sister
PETER
You sly dog….
HARRY
PETER, please…
PETER
Sure. Look, I'll leave these here –
just some fruit and stuff for you.
Beat
This AMY wouldn't happen to be a
pretty young blonde about:
(Gestures height of
AMY)
So height, would she?
HARRY
Yeah, I guess.
PETER
Well, she's out there in the
corridor crying her eyes out so I
reckon I'll go and give her a
shoulder… you know?
HARRY
Sure PETER, whatever…
(Watches PETER make
for the door.
Thinks. Stops him.)
PETER, does KATHLEEN go away a lot?
PETER
What mate?
HARRY
KATHLEEN. Does she go away a lot?
PETER
(Looks at HARRY
fixedly)
The pottery shows? Every season,
mate. Don't you remember?
HARRY shakes his head.
PETER (CONT.)
(Laughs)
You two have had some right old
rows 'bout that. You know what
she's like: believes in
emancipation.
(Does bad impression
of woman's voice)
"If I'm capable of making pottery
on my own, then I'm capable of
selling it on my own – I won't sell
much sitting at home, will I?"
HARRY
(Smiles, humors
PETER's
impersonation)
How long does she go away for?
PETER
A week; two weeks.
Beat
Jesus, mate, can't you remember
anything?
HARRY shakes his head again, feeling just a little

distraught.
HARRY wakes with a jolt. He feels the clammy sweat

covering his skin. The few hairs that have regrown on
the back of his neck stand on end, as if charged with
static.
He can feel her standing there, next to the bed. He

gulps, hoping that he is mistaken. Slowly, carefully,
he turns to look.
The creature is there.
DEAD GIRL
are.
HARRY
(Shakes his head. Is
he going insane?)
I don't understand.
DEAD GIRL
are.
HARRY
Who are you? Please, tell me who
you are.
The eyeless apparition, too solid looking to be termed

a ghost, doesn't answer.
HARRY (CONT.)
Please. I will help you, but you
must tell me who you are.
No response. HARRY closes his eyes and wills the

creature to disappear. He opens his eyes and she's
gone.
HARRY waits for a while, catching his breath. The door
opens and the night NURSE (big black, matronly woman)
enters.
NIGHT NURSE
Are you awake, Mr MENKHART? I
thought I heard you speaking.
(Tucks him into his
duvet)
You been having bad dreams again?
HARRY
Yeah…
NIGHT NURSE
Well, you're going to have to be
putting up with someone else
tucking you in for a few weeks –
I'm off on my holidays this Friday.
HARRY
That must be really….
NIGHT NURSE
You don't have to tell me! I
haven't had a holiday for over a
year and these ankles mine are
screaming for a bit of good old R
and R.
HARRY is seated in his wheelchair while ALBERT does a

jigsaw puzzle on a table. When HARRY sees the Detective
approach, he tries to stop himself from grimacing.
DETECTIVE LINES
Good morning, Mr. MENKHART. I hope
you're feeling better.
HARRY smiles, without feeling

She's a very pretty woman, your
fiancée.
HARRY
You've seen her? How is she?
DETECTIVE LINES
(Notices frowning
look from ALBERT.
Understands.)
She appears to be doing okay, Mr
MENKHART.
HARRY
She is?
ALBERT stands up, having completed a simple jigsaw.
ALBERT
I think I'll take a short stroll,
if that's okay with you HARRY?
HARRY
Please ALBERT – you need it.
ALBERT
(To Lines)
Don't tax the boy too hard,
Detective. Remember his condition.
Lines nods and both he and HARRY watch as ALBERT

casually saunters away.
DETECTIVE LINES
It must be nice to have someone so…
close… to you all the time.
HARRY
(Tries to read the
apparent irony in
Lines' voice,
receives only a
blank look in
return)
It is.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Produces trusty
notebook. Straight
to business)
Mr. MENKHART…
Beat
Derek Miles. When was the last time
you saw him?
HARRY
Detective, I've no recollection
whatsoever of any Derek Miles.
DETECTIVE LINES
You lived only a few doors away
from one another.
HARRY
I wouldn't recognise him if I
passed him in the street.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Chuckling at his
own macabre joke)
Well, not now you wouldn't…
HARRY
Quite.
Beat
Detective, if there's anything I
can help you on with the crash,
I'll try my best. As to the other
victim, I'm afraid I won't be much
use.
DETECTIVE LINES
How long have you lived at 118 Reel
Street, Mr. MENKHART?
HARRY
Detective, if I hadn't been told, I
wouldn't have known that I did live
there.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Consults pad)
Six years.
Beat
You and your fiancée have been
together… three years?
HARRY
Where is this leading, detective?
DETECTIVE LINES
I'm just getting a feel for the
situation.
HARRY
You're investigating a car
accident, not a murder.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Smiles)
You're quite right, Mr. MENKHART.
It's just that we have a saying:
there's no such thing as a
coincidence.
HARRY
(Amazed)
If you're implying that I crashed
into this… this… Derek Miles
deliberately, then think again.
Look at me! I'm scarred for life.
My fiancée's in a coma…
DETECTIVE LINES
(Smiles)
I never said anything of the sort,
sir. I just asked if you knew him.
HARRY
And what if I did? Which I don't.
What then?
(Ironic)
Would it add new light to the case?
Lines licks his lips, and then closes his notepad. He

stares at the faux leather cover for a moment before
raising his face.
DETECTIVE LINES
Mr. MENKHART, we are pursuing a
lead that Mr. Miles may have been
involved in the abduction and
murder of several young women.
Beat
Perhaps you have seen on the
television…?
HARRY
(Nods)
I saw that girl being released from
the house. You think he was
involved in that?
DETECTIVE LINES
(Shrugs)
We're getting a mixed picture at
the moment, in all honesty. His
Volvo was seen in the area, and the
girl's helped our artist come up
with a sketch of the man she
believes abducted her.
HARRY
And is it Miles?
DETECTIVE LINES
We can't be sure. He was an average
looking man, average height, and
brown hair.
Beat
I saw in your photos that you had
the same characteristics… before
the accident.
HARRY
So does half the male population.
Saxon blood.
DETECTIVE LINES
Mr. MENKHART. I'd like to ask you
to provide us with another blood
sample.
HARRY
But you said that the tox report
was clean.
DETECTIVE LINES
It was.
HARRY feels the man's eyes boring into his own.
HARRY
(Suspicious)
What?
DETECTIVE LINES
How's your memory? Any clearer?
HARRY
Not since the last time I saw you.
Lines shrugs, his suit making a rustling noise,

betraying its inferior and artificial fiber
composition.
DETECTIVE LINES
Does the name Jennifer Fowler mean
anything to you?
HARRY
(Thinking)
That's the girl on television. The
abducted one.
(Lines nods)
No. Should it?
DETECTIVE LINES
Perhaps you may have seen her
around?
HARRY
Detective, I don't like your line
of questioning. Are you accusing me
of something?
DETECTIVE LINES
Mr. MENKHART. The accident you were
involved in was like nothing I've
seen. We've got one victim in a
coma, you with no memory and a
third body whose only remains – a
few teeth – are welded into the
chassis of a vehicle.
Beat
Both windscreens were out, most
probably due to bodies flying
through them.
HARRY
I told you I remember that.
DETECTIVE LINES
Mr. MENKHART, the position of the
teeth in the other vehicle suggests
that they're not the driver's.
HARRY
I don't understand.
DETECTIVE LINES
They're embedded in the passenger
door.
HARRY
Maybe he was knocked that way in
the crash.
DETECTIVE LINES
Maybe so. I'm sure you can
appreciate the difficulty we're
having putting this one together.
HARRY
Detective, I'm having a hard enough
time putting my life back together
without worrying about your
investigation.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Smiles)
Mr. MENKHART, Derek Miles is now
under investigation for multiple
kidnap and murder; please
understand that.
HARRY
I still don't see what that has to
do with me.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Looking around
room, taking in
furniture.)
Mr. MENKHART, about the blood test…
HARRY considers the request, and the reasoning behind

it. The idea that springs in his mind is hard to
digest.
HARRY
You don't believe I'm HAROLD
MENKHART.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Grimaces)
It's only a precaution. We'll know
by your sample.
HARRY
What about his teeth? Can't you do
a dental record?
DETECTIVE LINES
Not until we get them out of the
framework, we can't. It's best for
both of us if you assist in this
matter.
Beat
For your own sake.
HARRY feels like a brick has hit him. His mind reels at
the concept. What if he is the killer and not HAROLD
MENKHART? He thinks of the creature… But, no. PETER and
KATHLEEN's parents had recognized him.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Flicks through
notebook)
PETER Green is quoted as saying,
'his voice has changed and he looks
different. If I hadn't been told it
was HARRY, I wouldn't have known
him from Adam. The accident must
have been horrific…'
HARRY
See! He says the accident… And what
about ALBERT and MARGARET? They
knew me.
DETECTIVE LINES
Before the accident, you'd never
met. You were placed in their care
because you'd been in the same car
as their daughter before being
thrown from it. They had been
expecting you.
HARRY
Detective, I think your imagination
is going a little too far.
DETECTIVE LINES
Would you just go along with the
blood test? Just as a precaution,
to put both our minds at rest.
HARRY
(Sighs, resigned)
If that's what it takes…
DETECTIVE LINES
I'm sorry, Mr. MENKHART. It's for
your own protection. Once we clear
this up with a DNA test…
HARRY
(Watching Lines
stand preparing to
leave)
I suppose you'll want to ransack my
house as well.
DETECTIVE LINES
Not until we get the DNA results.
If you're not Derek Miles…
Beat
We wouldn't get a warrant
otherwise…
HARRY
I will sue you, believe me, I will
sue.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Looking back at
HARRY)
It's funny, Mr. MENKHART, you can't
remember who you are, but you can
remember your rights…
DAY NURSE is removing a tray from HARRY's bedside. She

smiles at him and then leaves HARRY on his own.
From beyond the door, somewhere in the corridor, he can

hear footsteps, people talking. His eyes catch sight of
something in the corner of the room. Please God, he
thinks, don't let it be that thing again.
Nervously, he looks over.
It is.
The dead girl stares eyelessly back.
DEAD GIRL
are.
HARRY
Leave me alone! Tell me who you are
or leave me alone!
DEAD GIRL
Tell them where we are.
HARRY
I don't understand! Who are you?
HARRY thinks about the reason for his visitations.

Could he really be Derek Miles, the killer? It isn't
possible. Surely, he'd remember. He has to be HAROLD
MENKHART.
DEAD GIRL
HARRY
Just leave me alone!
Beat
(Thinks. Controls
himself)
Am I Derek Miles? Is that why
you're here?
(Dead Girl doesn't
answer. HARRY feels
his mind losing its
grip on reality)
Did I… kill… you? Is that why
you're haunting me?
(Still no reply)
Tell me! I'm going insane over
this! Am I Derek Miles?
(No reply)
This is madness. The only person
who I can really ask is a figment
of my imagination…
(Looks at girl, more
closely)
And a grim one at that.
(HARRY waits for
some comment from
the corpse.
Nothing)
Oh, just leave me alone. I'll find
out soon enough anyway.
INT: PRIVATE WARD, HOSPITAL, DAY – LATER
HARRY is lying on the bed with his eyes closed. By his

side are ALBERT and MARGARET – ever fussing. PETER
stands just inside the doorway.
Day NURSE enters with a plastic cup of tablets and some
drinking water for HARRY. She props him up in bed to
give him his medication.
DAY NURSE
You'll be seeing a bit more of me
from now on – I've been rotated
onto nights.
(She smiles)
You'll be having 'Danny boy' to put
you to sleep rather than your usual
Southern Lullabies…
HARRY
Has the other NURSE…
DAY NURSE
Gone on holiday? Yes. Well, gone
might be a bit of an exaggeration…
she'll be putting her feet up at
home if I know her rightly.
HARRY accidentally knocks the plastic cup, now empty,

off of the bed. Day NURSE bends to retrieve it, but
ALBERT reaches it first. Their hands connect.
ALBERT and Day NURSE find their hands touching. ALBERT

gently inspects NURSE's hands.
ALBERT
(Quietly, almost to
self)
Soft hands…
The moment is broken as
THE BEDSIDE PHONE RINGS.
ALBERT catches MARGARET's accusatory eye as he goes to

answer it. Day NURSE excuses herself from the room.
ALBERT
(Into phone)
Yes?
Beat
Yes, he is.
Beat
Thankyou, I'll tell him.
All eyes, especially HARRY's, fall expectantly and

anxiously on ALBERT who slowly replaces the receiver
and looks up.
ALBERT
That was reception…
HARRY
Did they say?
ALBERT
About the results? No.
Beat
DETECTIVE LINES is coming up
personally.
HARRY sighs, closes his eyes and lies back. He thinks

that it's all over for him. He really must be Derek
Miles.
The atmosphere in the room is pregnant with silence,

doubt, everyone thinking their individual thoughts.
Suddenly,
THE DOOR SLAMS OPEN.
HARRY opens his eyes, perhaps fearing a sudden in-

streaming of police.
Standing, in the doorway, eyes red with rage, is AMY.

She's brandishing a newspaper, which she has managed to
crumple in her hand.
AMY
(Flinging newspaper
onto bed. Speaking
to ALBERT, not
HARRY)
Have you seen this? Have you?
ALBERT frowns and picks up the journal. He adjusts it,

straightens the pages out as if he were about to do the
crossword.
The front page says it all:

NEWSPAPER FRONT PAGE HEADLINE:
WHO's WHO?
Two grainy photos of similar

looking men – which we know
instinctively to be Derek Miles and
HAROLD MENKHART, grace the cover.
Beneath, much smaller, are several
photos – better quality, high
school yearbook types – of the
missing girls.
AMY
This… this… bastard… is Derek
Miles! He isn't KATHLEEN's HARRY!
ALBERT
We don't know that, AMY….
AMY
Look at him! He's a hideous freak!
You're comforting a psychopath!
MARGARET
He's been in an accident….
AMY
Mother, why don't you just shut up?
MARGARET gasps, tears in her eyes, and then runs from

the room.
ALBERT
Look what you've done! Your poor
mother!
AMY
Because of this psycho, my sister's
dead, her boyfriend's dead… and
you're treating him like Elvis!
(Marches up to end
of bed and juts her
jaw out at HARRY,
who's too stunned
to speak)
Like what you see? Nice young
blonde? Fancy putting me in a
cellar, eh? You fucking bastard!
AMY lunges at HARRY but PETER quickly steps in and

grabs her. She fights against him for a moment before
her adrenalin burns out. She sobs heavily. PETER leads
her out of the room.
AMY
(To HARRY, voice
weighted with tears
and emotion)
I'll make damn sure you get the
chair, you psycho bastard!
HARRY's breathing quickens, as does his heartbeat. He

closes his eyes and tries to calm himself. He opens
them again and sees ALBERT reading the newspaper.
ALBERT
I don't know how they found out you
were here.
HARRY
It doesn't matter.
Beat
HARRY (CONT.)
ALBERT, perhaps you should just
leave. If what AMY says is true…
ALBERT
We don't know that HAROLD. Let's
just wait and see what the police
have to say.
HARRY
How can you even bear to be with
me, when there is so much doubt who
I am?
ALBERT
To be frank? I'm doing this for
KATHLEEN's sake. I know she loved
you deeply.
Beat
It's what she would have wanted…
HARRY
You speak as though she's dead
already….
ALBERT
The Doctor's aren't giving much for
her chances, HAROLD…
HARRY
Then why aren't you with her? Coma
victims still know when someone's
talking to them.
ALBERT
I spend more time with her than
with you, HAROLD.
(Lightening the
moment)
It must just feel otherwise…
HARRY smiles, as if the old man has read his mind.
The door opens and in walks DETECTIVE LINES. He appears

nervous. He's carrying a brown, card folder – the type
usually used in hospitals.
ALBERT
Detective.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Nods to ALBERT.
Turns to HARRY)
I've got the results…
HARRY's heart beat increases. The tension in the room

rises significantly.
Mr. MENKHART.
HARRY sighs audibly with relief, closes his eyes and

leans back on his pillow. ALBERT clasps a hand on
HARRY's shoulder.
HARRY
Then I'm definitely not…?
DETECTIVE LINES
Derek Miles? No, you're 98% HAROLD
MENKHART.
Beat
We had Miles' DNA on record – he'd
served 3 years in the infantry.
Beat
You're not him.
ALBERT
Oh this is excellent news! I must
tell MARGARET!
ALBERT leaves the room. DETECTIVE LINES stands

uncomfortably. He watches ALBERT leave and then
approaches the bed.
DETECTIVE LINES
(To HARRY)
Look. I'll understand if you sue.
You didn't need that hanging over
you while you're like…this.
HARRY
Forget it. I'm just relieved. You
don't know what it's been like, not
knowing.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Removes a business
card and places it
on bedside table
next to PETER's)
Well, my Lieutenant didn't take it
so well. He's put me on nightshift
– I'm still on the case but I won't
be able to stir up any more trouble
for the department for a while.
Beat
I guess I really was hanging it all
on you – the case I mean. I let my
ambition cloud my judgment.
Beat
One whiff of a lawsuit and the
department wanted me out of the way
ASAFP. No doubt they'll be sending
you flowers sometime soon.
HARRY doesn't know what to say. The detective's

obviously apologizing – something he's having trouble
doing – but HARRY is too shocked to make conversation.
DETECTIVE LINES
Look, I'll leave my card. I reckon
the next few weeks will be pretty
mundane for me – the Lieutenant's
not going to let me anywhere near
the real case – I'm not going to be
much help on the graveyard shift.
Beat
If you ever need a chat, someone's
brains to pick…
Beat
See you around, Mr MENKHART
HARRY
The name's HARRY.
DETECTIVE LINES
HARRY?
FLASHBACK:
Note – this scene is split between Flashback

visual/audio and Hospital ward continuous (audio only)
INT: CAR, NIGHT
As before, it's night, dark, bright headlights flash

into windshield.
INT: PRIVATE WARD, HOSPITAL, DAY – AUDIO ONLY
We hear HARRY's heart monitor rising in tempo
INT: CAR, NIGHT
KATHLEEN (OS)
(Screaming loudly)
HARRY!
The sound of the two car's screeching brakes.

The sound of running footsteps out of room and into

corridor – Detective Line's.
DETECTYIVE LINES (OS)

(Voice is muffled as
he's in the
corridor but still
loud)
NURSE! NURSE!
INT: CAR, NIGHT
The two cars smash together. We see the impact from

HARRY's perspective as he crashes into the windshield
and is propelled through it.
We see the second man – Derek Miles - as he hits his

own windshield and is thrown back into the vehicle.
For a split second, PETER's face is SUPERIMPOSED on

Derek Miles'.
The sound of HARRY's heartbeat flatlining.
The sound of a group of NURSEs and Doctors frantically

trying to get HARRY's heartbeat going again. Medical
terminology used.
EXT: ROAD, NIGHT
Derek Miles' car has already caught flame. HARRY is

lying in a sodden heap on the drenched road.
KATHLEEN (OS)
(Screaming in panic)
HARRY! HARRY! Help me!
Totally dazed, HARRY lifts his head to where his own

car must be – we don't get to see it yet. He drags
himself to his feet as the rain continues to pour and
Derek Mile's car burns.
FLASHBACK ENDS, AS DOES AUDIO HOSPITAL SCENE

It's late, but HARRY doesn't feel like sleeping. He is

lying in bed, watching the TV. One lamp illuminates the
rear of the room and the TV screen the rest. HARRY
flicks through the channels until he came to a news
update on the Jennifer Fowler abduction. He watches as
the reporter, this time a middle-aged black man with
silver hair, divulges information pertaining to the
case. It sounds like a summation of an official
statement, but with the words aggrandized to make it
sound more startling.
HARRY sits bolt upright when he saw Reel Street enter

the picture. 114 is focused upon. He turns up the
volume to listen about the suspicion regarding Derek
Miles, who's recently died in a horrific car accident.
Just the mention of the man's name makes HARRY feel

sick. He'd been so close to being wrongly branded a
killer.
As the newscast finishes and moves onto environmental

problems in the North Sea, some oil leak, HARRY
switches off the set. He sits in the gloomy light,
trying to calm down. He reassures himself that his
memory will return and KATHLEEN will come out of her
coma. God, he hasn't even visited her yet, but that was
the doctor's orders. They are concerned the shock will
put him back and cause further amnesia.
He'll sort himself out, go back to work and plan for

the future. Okay, his hand is in a bad state, but other
than that he can have a normal healthy life. Maybe
they'll have kids one day…
He feels it before he sees it. The creature lingers on

the edge of his vision. He wants to ignore it; the
albatross that appears unbeckoned. He can't.
HARRY
Leave me alone! I'm trying to get
better and you're screwing up my
head. You're not real. You're a
hallucination!
DEAD GIRL
are.
HARRY
Tell who? Who are you?
Beat
No. You're not real. You're just a
figment of my imagination.
Then, the creature moves. HARRY watches in dumb silence

as the ghastly figure moves to the television set.
Without being touched, the TV springs into life. The
Jennifer Fowler news is back on. An update.
HARRY doesn't know whether to watch the ghost or the

TV, but the mention of Reel Street again catches his
attention. A witness is telling how she had seen Derek
Miles and another man, on several occasions, enter
Derek's house with a pretty young blonde. The witness,
voice and face masked to protect her, can't say whether
it was the same girl or not. The reporter finishes by
stating the police have asked for more witnesses to
come forward and help identify the mystery accomplice.
HARRY gulps and looked at the mutilated girl.
HARRY
Me? Am I the accomplice?
DEAD GIRL
Tell them where we are. We're
tired.
HARRY
It can't be me! It can't. HAROLD
MENKHART is an average, normal guy
with a job and a girl. The
accomplice must be some psycho…
DEAD GIRL
HARRY
Shut up! Shut up!
(Hearing his heart
monitor rising in
tempo, tries to
calm himself. He
closes his eyes)
Please, just leave me alone.
HARRY opens his eyes and the girl is gone.
We hear the door open and ALBERT enters.
ALBERT
You're not asleep, HARRY?
HARRY
ALBERT, you still here?
ALBERT
MARGARET and I are taking it in
turns to be with KATHLEEN. I just
popped in to see how you are.
HARRY
I'm fine ALBERT, just fine.
INT: CORRIDOR, HOSPITAL, DAY
HARRY is being pushed along the corridor in a

wheelchair by a PORTER. A doctor is keeping pace with
him.
DOCTOR
Are you sure you're ready for this,
Mr MENKHART? It could set you back,
you know.
HARRY
I've got to see her…
DOCTOR
I still deem it inadvisable.
The wheelchair convoy makes its way along the corridor,

rounding corners until it comes up to a door. The
doctor stops the PORTER before they enter.
DOCTOR
Please, Mr MENKHART, I really don't
think that this is going to help
you any…
HARRY
Doctor, I've got to see her… I've
got to know…
DOCTOR
Are you sure you wouldn't prefer to
wait a while? At least until we're
more sure of your heart.
HARRY
She asked me once if I loved her.
Beat
Just before the accident.
DOCTOR
And what did you say?
HARRY
I didn't get chance to say
anything….
The PORTER looks at Doctor for further instructions.

The doctor reluctantly nods and the door opens.
INT: KATHLEEN'S ROOM, HOSPITAL, DAY
This should be a moment of emotion. The room is empty

apart from KATHLEEN's bed, where she is lying in a
coma. She resembles sleeping beauty but with a myriad
of wires and tubes leading from her to various
machines.
ALBERT, MARGARET and AMY are standing in one corner of

the room.
HARRY visibly gulps when he sees his fiancée. He's

choked with emotion. He sits still for a moment, just
taking in the spectacle, then tries to wheel himself
towards her. He doesn't have the strength. The PORTER
obliges.
Just as HARRY is about to reach Sleeping Beauty, ALBERT

speaks.
ALBERT
HARRY…
FLASHBACK
EXT: ROAD, NIGHT
We're back where we left him earlier. Rain sodden,

dragging himself to his feet while Kathleen screams OS.
HARRY aims his battered and bruised body at his own

car. We can now see it, and KATHLEEN trapped in the
passenger seat with her belt still on. The flames from
Derek Mile's car are getting higher and approaching
HARRY's.
KATHLEEN continues to scream for help throughout the

scene.
HARRY tries to open the door, but it won't budge. He
climbs onto the bonnet and frantically begins trying to
pull KATHLEEN out through the now-gone windshield.
The flames are getting higher and higher, very close to

HARRY's back.
We see both HARRY and KATHLEEN trying to loosen the

seatbelt, but it's jammed solid. HARRY keeps looking
back at the burning car.
Then he remembers. He leans his whole body into the

front of the car and wrenches open the glove
compartment.
We see the mess tumble onto KATHLEEN's lap.

HARRY rummages around until he finds the penknife. He
opens the blade and begins cutting through KATHLEEN's
safety belt.
Derek Mile's car is now totally aflame and the fire is

creeping up HARRY's car's bonnet.
KATHLEEN
Please hurry HARRY!
We're on the edge of our seats as the penknife

eventually severs the belt. HARRY struggles to free
KATHLEEN as she starts to climb out of her seat and
through the windshield.
HARRY, still half in his own car, helps her out.

KATHLEEN gets onto the bonnet and slides down onto the
road.
The rain continues to pour down as the flames roar.
HARRY pulls himself free of his own car. KATHLEEN turns

to face him.
HARRY's engine explodes, sending KATHLEEN hurtling

backwards into a tree. She smashes into it and drops,
unconscious to the ground. HARRY, now a ball of flame,
is propelled into the air and into the road. he smacks
his head on the surface and loses consciousness. We see
the rain slowly putting out his burning clothes until
just steam rises from his still body.
FLASHBACK ENDS
INT: PRIVATE WARD, HOSPITAL, EVENING
HARRY is lying in bed. He's exhausted. His heart's not

bearing up to the strain.
The door opens and AMY gingerly walking in, carrying a
bouquet of flowers.
HARRY's eyes widen in alarm, fearing another attack.

AMY notices. She's embarrassed.
AMY
These? I'm sorry about before. I
thought…
HARRY
It's okay. I didn't know who I was
either.
AMY
How are you feeling?
HARRY
You mean in general, or after
today's little incident?
AMY
Either… both
HARRY
Just seeing her there brought
everything back.
Beat
She's going to be alright, isn't
she?
AMY
The doctors aren't sure. They gave
that usual 'only time will tell'
nonsense.
AMY looks away, we can see that she's upset.
HARRY
It's okay.
AMY
No it's not okay. Why her? Why
Kathy?
HARRY
I really don't know….
The door opens and in walks PETER. AMY turns to him and
gives a weak smile.
PETER
How're you holding up, HARRY?
HARRY
I've been better.
PETER
(To AMY)
You ready?
AMY nods. PETER smiles at HARRY and then leaves. AMY

smiles at HARRY and turns to go.
HARRY sees Derek Miles' face and PETER's superimposed

again.
HARRY
AMY…wait.
AMY
What is it?
HARRY
PETER…
AMY
I know, he's being an angel.
HARRY
How well do you know him?
AMY
I don't think that's any of your
concern.
AMY leaves, and HARRY is left frustrated and alone.

HARRY shakes his head and switches the TV on. Once
again, an update on the Derek Miles' abductions.
HARRY stares at the TV set, but his concentration is

interrupted by ALBERT and MARGARET entering.
ALBERT
Just seen your friend PETER and
AMY. They seem to be getting on
well together.
Beat
He's in advertising with you, isn't
he?
HARRY
Yes.
Beat
ALBERT, I think you should…
MARGARET
(Interrupting.
Points at TV set.
We see another
photo, different to
newspaper one, of
Derek Miles – still
grainy though)
You know, I could have sworn I've
seen him somewhere before.
ALBERT
Hush dear. That's the man who
caused the accident. He's been in
all of the papers.
MARAGERT
Yes, you're probably right.
Beat
Something about his face.
Beat
MARGARET (CONT.)
Doesn't he look like that man we
bought the Volvo from?
ALBERT
I've no idea, dear. That's was a
few years ago.
(To HARRY)
It's not like the old days when I
could buy a new car every couple of
years.
MARGARET
I'm sure I…
ALBERT
(Quite sternly)
I'm sure HAROLD doesn't want to be
reminded of that man, dear.
ALBERT (CONT.)
(ALBERT switches off
the TV.)
Why don't you go and get us a cup
of tea?
(MARGARET, still
thinking, obeys and
leaves.)
Poor woman, she must learn to think
quietly.
HARRY
Where did PETER and AMY go?
ALBERT
To a restaurant, I believe. Why?
HARRY
You haven't noticed anything odd
about him?
ALBERT
PETER? No, nothing that springs to
mind. Why?
HARRY
(Is about to say
about face
superimposition,
but decides against
it)
Nothing I guess. Perhaps I'm just
worried that AMY might be too
emotional at the moment to think
clearly…
ALBERT
Oh ho! You're worried about her
falling in love? AMY's a very
strong woman. Very independent –
like KATHLEEN. You've no need to
worry for her sake.
HARRY can't sleep. He doesn't want to switch on the

television set as he's sick of hearing about the
abductions.
Almost instinctively, he turns to his side.
DEAD GIRL is there. She doesn't speak.
HARRY
(Resigned)
So I'm the accomplice?
HARRY (CONT.)
Beat
You're worried that now Miles has
gone, no-one will find your body?
(Seeing no reaction)
I really can't help you. I've only
just remembered the accident.
Beat
If my heart doesn't give out on me,
it could take months – even years –
to remember everything fully.
(Looks at the
standing corpse)
I guess time's not that important
for you now, is it?
(Thinks)
Look, there' something I've got to
ask you. What if it isn't me – the
accomplice I mean. What if it's
someone else? You'd tell me right?
(No response.
Continues,
regardless)
What if it isn't me – it could be
someone I know and you're trying to
tell me that.
(Corpse says
nothing)
I'm beginning to suspect PETER.
Nothing conclusive, but I keep
seeing his face…
Dead Girl VANISHES.
HARRY (CONT.)
Hey! Wait! You didn't let me
finish…
(Thinking)
PETER…
HARRY slowly, painfully turns himself in his bed and

leans towards the telephone on the cabinet. Beside it
are the two business cards – PETER's and DETECTIVE
LINES'.
With a crabbed hand, HARRY lifts the receiver and

begins pushing the buttons for PETER's number.
With his body bent at an uncomfortable angle, half of

the bed, HARRY lifts the receiver to his ear. We hear
it ringing.
PETER (OS)
(Filtered. Sleepy)
Hello?
HARRY
PETER?
PETER (OS)
Beat
HARRY. Who else could it be at…
Beat
Two-fifteen in the morning?
HARRY
I just wanted to chat.
PETER
That's nice, HARRY. What is it this
time? More ghosts?
HARRY
I wanted to talk about women.
PETER
(Laughs)
I don't think you're quite ready at
the moment, pal….
HARRY
How did it go with AMY?
PETER
Beat
How did what go?
HARRY
Your date? The restaurant…
PETER
Fine.
Beat
You called me at this ungodly hour
to ask about a dinner date? I know
you're under a lot of stress…
HARRY
Did you take her home? To ALBERT
and MARGARET's?
PETER
Yes…. No. what is this/ Twenty
questions?
HARRY
Just answer me, PETER. Did you take
back to her house?
PETER
You're starting to wear my patience
down, HARRY.
HARRY
Did you or didn't you?
PETER
Beat
No.
We see HARRY thinking. What's his next question going

to be? How will he confront his friend with his
suspicions?
HARRY
Where is she PETER?
PETER
What?
HARRY
Where is she?
PETER
That's none of your damned
business, buddy.
HARRY
I've made it my business.
PETER
You really need to get some help,
HARRY
HARRY
Where the hell is she? What have
you done with her?
PETER
Oh, for Christ's sake.
We hear the phone being muffled. We're expecting the

receiver to be replaced. Instead, we hear:
AMY (OS)
(Filtered. Very
sleepy)
HARRY?
HARRY
AMY?
AMY
Look, HARRY, I don't know what you
want but I'd like to get back to
sleep. Can we talk about this
tomorrow?
HARRY
(Stunned. Has made a
fool of himself)
Yeah. Sure. Sorry.
PETER (OS)
If you wanted to play gooseberry,
why didn't you just tell me? I
could have brought you in the
wheelchair….
The dial tone sounds. HARRY feels ridiculous, paranoid.

Perhaps he really is going insane. Perhaps he is the
accomplice.
He replaces the receiver and tries to sit back up in

bed. He can't.
No matter how hard he tries, he can't get back up from
the position he needed to be in to use the phone. He
tries a few more times and then gives up.
He sees the 'Call NURSE' button and presses it.
He sighs while he waits, and waits, and waits. Nothing.
He presses it again.
He looks up from his virtually horizontal position,

hanging over the bed, one hand on the telephone
receiver. There, before him, is Dead Girl.
She's shaking her head.

HARRY
What? What now?
He sees she's looking at the business cards. He looks

at cards and the back up. She's gone.
Still no response from the NURSE. Something's wrong.
He feels a fool, but he has no choice. He needs to call

someone and tell them his predicament. Maybe they can
phone the night reception and find out where the NURSE
is?
He looks at PETER's number, and then decides against it

– the memory is still too fresh from a few minutes ago.
He sees DETECTIVE LINES' number. He calls it.
HARRY
DETECTIVE LINES?
Beat
I know this is going to sound
silly, but….
INT: PRIVATE WARD, HOSPITAL, NIGHT – LATER
HARRY, still in his recumbent position, is woken up by

a man's hand. He feels himself being hoisted back up
onto the bed. He sees it's DETECTIVE LINES helping him.
DETECTIVE LINES
Where's the NURSE?
HARRY
(Embarrassed)
I only meant for you to call
reception… I didn't expect you'd…
DETECTIVE LINES
It's the least I could do.
Beat
When did you last see her?
HARRY
Who?
DETECTIVE LINES
The NURSE…
HARRY
I've no idea.
DETECTIVE LINES
You wait here. I'll go find that
little Irish madam and give her a
piece of my mind – if she's drunk
on duty….
HARRY
She may have just fallen asleep….
DETECTIVE LINES
And left you in that state? Your
heart's bad enough as is – what
would happen if all your blood
rushed to your head?
HARRY tries to stop the now angry Detective from

leaving, but fails. He watches as the policeman storms
out of the room.
INT: KATHLEEN'S ROOM, HOSPITAL, CONTINUOUS
Sleeping Beauty is still asleep. A NURSE sits by her

bed, reading a magazine. Suddenly
KATHLEEN FLATLINES.
The NURSE looks up at the heart monitor. It takes a

moment for her to come to her senses. She jumps up,
dropping the magazine on the floor and races towards
the emergency button to call a support team. The NURSE
fiddles with KATHLEEN's tubes and wires to make sure
nothing's come loose.
INT: CORRIDOR, HOSPITAL, CONTINUOUS
DETECTIVE LINES is walking along the deserted corridor.

His face set with grim determination.
INT: KATHLEEN'S ROOM, HOSPITAL, CONTINUOUS
The Doctor, and a few NURSEs rush in and prep KATHLEEN

to start her heart again electrically.
DOCTOR
(To NURSE)
Call her parents…
A NURSE nods and leaves the room.

DOCTOR
(Taking the diodes
and waiting until
KATHLEEN's chest is
revealed and
jellied)
Clear!
DETECTIVE LINES is opening doors and peering in them.
He sees an open, corridor door, at the end of the

corridor. A thin light is coming from behind.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Quietly, to self)
Are you hiding down there?
EXT: DRIVEWAY, HOSPITAL, CONTINUOUS
A Volvo – which we surmise to be KATHLEEN's parents

pulls quickly up, braking on the gravel surfacing.
INT: PRIVATE WARD, HOSPITAL, CONTINUOUS
HARRY is just dozing off when a PORTER enters his room

pushing a wheelchair.
HARRY opens his eyes and is confused.
HARRY
What are you doing?
PORTER
It's your fiancée…
We see in HARRY's eyes instant recognition of what the

PORTER is implying. HARRY steels himself and nods.
The PORTER approaches and removes HARRY's duvet.
DETECTIVE LINES SLAMS open the door at the end of the

corridor and steps into:
INT: STAIRWELL, HOSPITAL, CONTINUOUS
He stands still – perhaps he was expecting a room? He

looks upstairs and sees that it's dark. The stairs
downwards have a light somewhere below. He heads
downwards.
As DETECTIVE LINES heads downstairs, the Porter pushes

HARRY out into the corridor and heads in the opposite
direction.
INT: PETER'S BEDROOM, PETER'S FLAT, CONTINUOUS
It's dark.
The phone rings.
We hear PETER 'tut' loudly.
He switches on the bedside lamp and we see that he's

lying in bed next to a sleeping AMY. He reaches for the
receiver and picks it up.
PETER
HARRY…. This is getting ridiculous.
(We see PETER's
expression change
as he learns that
it's not HARRY, but
the hospital
calling for AMY)
Sure. Right away.
(PETER replaces
receiver and takes
a deep breath. He
turns towards AMY
and shakes her
shoulder. She
mumbles)
AMY, we've got to get up.
AMY
What?
PETER
It's KATHLEEN…
AMY
(Realizing)
Oh my God… is she…
PETER
Not yet, but it doesn't look good.
They get out of bed and hurriedly dress.
INT: CORRIDRO, HOSPITAL, CONTINUOUS.
The PORTER pushes HARRY up to KATHLEEN's door. He turns

himself, and the wheelchair around, so that he can use
his back to open the door.
As they enter, we hear:
DOCTOR (OS)
Time of Death recorded, three-oh-
eight-am.
Still facing the wrong way, we see HARRY's face swell

with a multitude of emotions.
INT: STAIRWELL, HOSPITAL, CONTINUOUS
DETECTIVE LINES has reached the bottom of the

stairwell. Before him is a double door made from the
old type plastic hanging sheets. The light comes from
behind it.
DETECTIVE LINES
(To self)
What? You holding a bridge meet
down here?
DETECTIVE LINES pushes open the double doors and steps

into:
INT: SMALLISH ROOM, HOSPITAL BASEENT, CONTINUOUS
We can't see the room, we can only see Lines' face. He

looks very confused.
DETECTIVE LINES
What the hell are you doing down
here?
INT: KATHLEEN'S ROOM, CONTINUOUS
HARRY sits and stares at KATHLEEN, while the medical

staff unplug her from the machines.
MARGARET (OS)
Oh HARRY!
HARRY turns his head and sees MARGARET, red-eyed from

crying, standing to one side of the room. She looks
distraught.
HARRY
Where's ALBERT?
INT: SMALL ROOM, HOSPITAL BASEMENT, CONTINUOUS
We now get a better look at the scene.

Bound to a chair, and gagged, is the blonde NURSE.
She's terrified. Standing behind her is ALBERT, with a
particularly large knife and a hacksaw.
DETECTIVE LINES is watching them from across the room.

We can see his hand slowly reaching to unclip his
revolver.
MARGARET
It's his turn to sit with KATHLEEN
– it was his turn.
Beat
Isn't he with you?
HARRY, torn between looking at his now deceased fiancée

and the look of confusion and worry on Margaret's face,
shakes his head in the negative.
INT: SMALL ROOM, HOSPITAL BASEMENT, CONTINUOUS
A Mexican standoff. DETECTIVE LINES can see that

ALBERT's too close to the NURSE. If the policeman makes
a wrong move, ALBERT could easily kill her with his
knife.
DETECTIVE LINES
Put the cutlery down, ALBERT
ALBERT
Little whores with pretty little
hands….
DETECTIVE LINES
What?
ALBERT
They were my daughter's once. Once.
A long time ago. Thing's were
different then.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Indicating NURSE)
She isn't your daughter. She's a
NURSE.
ALBERT
Do you take me for a fool? Of
course I know she's not my
daughter!
DETECTIVE LINES
I don't understand….
ALBERT
I couldn't hurt my daughters, could
I?
DETECTIVE LINES
Why hurt anyone?
ALBERT
I've been watching them. I watched
KATHLEEN shack up with that… that …
man
DETECTIVE LINES
MENKHART?
ALBERT
That's the one
DETECTIVE LINES
She's an adult, ALBERT, she can do
what she likes.
ALBERT
I rented a room, a few doors down.
No doubt you know the owner…
DETECTIVE LINES
Derek Miles.
ALBERT
Weedy little fellow. Didn't know
who I was.
DETECTIVE LINES
(Thinking)
That's why you've been so close to
Harry. You couldn't be sure if he
was Miles or not.
ALBERT
Neither could you.
DETECTIVE LINES
Then you and he?
ALBERT
(Nodding)
Poor Derek. Possibly the worst
salesman I've ever encountered.
Boring, plain… and everyday
watching that blonde strumpet of a
daughter mine, flaunting herself
with that MENKHART.
DETECTIVE LINES
And the girls? Why take other
girls?
ALBERT
That was my idea… substitution. It
was easy enough, he with his flash
Volvo, and me with what capital I
have left.
DETECTIVE LINES
Go on
ALBERT
He could enjoy the girls and think
about my daughter and when he'd
finished with them….
DETECTIVE LINES
You…
(Thinks carefully)
Punished them?
ALBERT
Exactly.
DETECTIVE LINES
Why didn't you try talking to your
daughter? Tell her what you felt?
ALBERT
Too headstrong. Not like her
mother, oh no. That woman is how a
woman should be – just like the
good old days. Obedient,
subservient.
DETECTIVE LINES
And KATHLEEN wasn't?
ALBERT
She was living like a whore!
Shacking up out of wedlock!
DETECTIVE LINES
Shall we let the NURSE go?
ALBERT
Oh, I don't think so. No doubt she
too has her own live-in lover and…
As ALBERT lifts his knife and looks longingly, madly,

into the NURSE's terrified face, DETECTIVE LINES draws
his revolver on him.
DETECTIVE LINES
Put the knife down now, ALBERT!
ALBERT
I don't think so, detective…
ALBERT lunges across the room and Lines fires, hitting
the old man in the shoulder.
ALBERT swipes with his knife and slashes Lines's arm.

Lines curses and almost drops the gun.
ALBERT turns the blade and rips upwards through Lines's

coat.
Lines jumps back in alarm, obviously in pain. ALBERT

closes on him, his eyes demoniac.
He's face to face with Lines – eyeball to eyeball.
We hear a GUNSHOT.
ALBERT's eyes widen and he slowly drops to his knees.
DETECTIVE LINES looks down at him.
DETECTIVE LINES
Fucking psycho
HARRY, in his wheelchair, is still some distance from

KATHLEEN. He vainly tries to reach for her hand but is
too far away.
HARRY's eyes are deep with sorrow. He tries to reach

again. We see him making the effort.
The PORTER pushes him up to the side of the bed.
HARRY's breathing is now erratic and he looks drowsy.

He's almost finished.
He tries to lift his hand and can't even get it to bed

height. His energy's left him.
He drops his arm resignedly and sighs, then closes his
eyes.
Suddenly, he feels his hand being lifted. He opens his

eyes and sees MARGARET holding his wrist. She gently
eases his hand over KATHLEEN's cold lifeless one.
MARGARET squeezes the two hands together and HARRY

smiles.
HARRY
(Quietly)
I love you, Kathy…
HARRY looks over to where MARGARET is standing and sees
DEAD GIRL beside her.

Dead Girl smiles and nods her head.
HARRY, knowing now that it's all over smiles too.
His life leaves him and he slumps down, headfirst onto

KATHLEEN's arm. Dead Girl vanishes.
AMY and PETER rush into the room and see the scene.
MARGARET is standing, watching KATHLEEN and HARRY's

bodies joined together in death.
FADE OUT.
THE END

A Screenplay By: Edward O'Toole

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COPYRIGHT © 2006 BY EDWARD O'TOOLE. ALL RIGHTS

First Draught 2001

First Edition 2006

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

All characters in this publication are fictitious and

Thanks to Pyxiedust for editorial comments

EXT: CAR, REMOTE COUNRTY ROAD, NIGHT

A dark blue, late-model Passat estate pushes its way

INT: CAR, CONTINUOUS

The driver, HAROLD MENKHART – a 29 year old junior

GRIPPING THE STEERING WHEEL

As he strives to maintain the car's hold of the wet

The passenger, KATHLEEN Granger,

LOOKS OUT OF HER SIDE WINDOW,

into the stormy night. She, too, is averagely good

HER HANDS ARE SLENDER

– a pianists – and, unlike her fiancé's, are beginning

With the radio silenced, the sound of rain falling

HARRY chooses to ignore his fiancée's wish; instead, he

KATHLEEN makes as if to say something further, but

A thought springs up in her mind and she reaches for

HARRY shakes his head, and then opens the glove

KATHLEEN looks in disgust at the sweet wrappers, empty

KATHLEEN sighs and risks a rummage through the junk.

HARRY takes a long look at the road ahead, making sure

KATHLEEN switches on the torch by twisting its small

HARRY bites his lip, then reaches for a cigarette in

KATHLEEN's face shows a modicum of concern, a secret

HARRY removes his hand from the wheel and switches on

As HARRY reaches his hand towards the gear stick,

– swerves across the road. HARRY swings his head back

INT: PRIVATE WARD, HOSPITAL, DAY

Voices, garbled, incoherent, distant. The man struggles

The man listens for the sound of rain, but finds it

He tries again with his eyes, and then with his

As his eyes began to adapt to their surroundings, the

WOMAN'S VOICE (OS)

The man tries to move his head to the side to look at

OLD MAN (OS)

OLD MAN/KATHLEEN'S FATHER (OS)

Still unable to turn his head to look at his host,

With the sound of the man's footsteps on linoleum

INT: PRIVATE WARD, HOSPITAL, DAY - LATER

The sound of ice clinking in a glass, and a spoon in a

DAY NURSE (OS)

MARGARET sobs loudly and runs out of the room.

DAY NURSE (OS)

HARRY ignores MARGARET's antics and smells the broth's

HARRY tries to move his hand, and finds that his

OLD MAN (OS)

Racked in agony, eyes tight shut, HARRY feels the man

OLD MAN (OS CONT.)

HARRY is leant forward and then allowed to lie back,

HARRY waits for his muscles to stop contracting and for

The view that awaits him is the fuzzy image of an

The old man's words are laced with a hidden meaning.

Ah! A reaction. The old man looks to his side. What is

HARRY closes his eyes, though not from compassion, just

The old man coughs again and moves to HARRY's side.

An uncomfortable pause. What does the old man want? Why

Ah! HARRY looks at the soup bowl. The old man is