ACT THREE
INT. WINSLOW HIGH SCHOOL, VICE-PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE
Scott, Ronnie and Steven are collected in the office as Jeremy tosses a stack of photographs down on the desk. Each one shows the same strange pictogram: a large X with two jagged circles, one at the top of each crosshatch.
SCOTT
What are these?
JEREMY
They appear to be calling cards.
STEVEN
For what?
JEREMY
Well, there's the rub. They've been
found at the scenes of suicides and
accidental deaths. No consistency
of method; no connection between the
casualties; no trace evidence found
to indicate that these deaths were
anything more than they appeared.
SCOTT
But something like THIS; it can't be
a coincidence, can it?
JEREMY
I've been working this case for the
last eight months; I've gone back as
far as 1991, and I've found matching
cases in Philadelphia, New York, and
Washington D.C. 122 deaths, fifteen
years, and only one common thread to
tie them all together.
(indicates photos)
That.
STEVEN
You're saying that Dominick Avery --
JEREMY
I have no doubt that Mr. Avery's death
will go down as yet another suicide.
RONNIE
But you don't think it was.
JEREMY
My theory? There are hundreds it not
thousands more of these that haven't
been reported or recorded. And there
WILL be more if I don't solve it.
INT. WINSLOW HIGH SCHOOL, GYMNASIUM (AFTERNOON)
Becky and Rainy work on the bleachers, spraying down and scrubbing clean the scattered stray paint splatters.
BECKY
God, I can't even imagine. I don't
know if I could do what you did.
RAINY
I think you could, if you had to. It's
like...your emotions sorta shut down,
and your rational brain takes over.
BECKY
I don't know; something that hor...
(looks to Rainy)
...I'm sorry, I keep making you talk
about it. Seriously; you can tell me
to just shut the hell up.
RAINY
No. Talking's good. Plus; you listen.
(distant)
I've seen worse. This one girl, she
was my roommate when I was Inside; I
watched her shatter a mirror and cut
her wrists with the pieces. I heard
she didn't make it.
(looks to Becky)
Doesn't get easier though. To see a
thing like that.
BECKY
The only dead body I ever saw was my
granddad at his funeral. He didn't
really look like my granddad anymore.
RAINY
The body isn't the hard part; that's
just meat and bones. Maybe I'm weird,
but corpses don't really freak me out.
BECKY
I don't think you're weird. Eccentric,
sure. But who says that's a bad thing?
Rainy smiles at the complement, but the smile fades.
RAINY
What does freak me out, is a teenager
so afraid of his own future that he's
willing to sacrifice all of the great
things he could have achieved just to
avoid a few terrifying moments.
Rainy glances to Becky, then goes back to cleaning.
BECKY
Such a waste.
INT. WINSLOW HIGH SCHOOL, RONNIE'S OFFICE
Ronnie sits cross-legged while McCallum lies on the couch.
RONNIE
Why did you climb up to the roof?
McCALLUM
To make sure gravity still worked.
RONNIE
What would make you want to do that?
McCALLUM
I didn't WANT to. It was just some-
thing I needed to do.
RONNIE
Why do you think you NEED to do that?
McCALLUM
(haggard sigh)
I don't expect you to understand, but
this is all a dream that I'm having.
You; Dominick; the detective. All of
Winslow High School. Just a dream.
(nearly breaks down)
That's why he did what he did.
(pulls it together)
But it's almost over now. I haven't
been able to wake up because I didn't
know that I was dreaming. But now I
do; so now I can wake myself up. It's
just a matter of will.
McCallum stares at the ceiling; Ronnie watches uneasily.
INT. WINSLOW HIGH SCHOOL, TEACHER'S LOUNGE
Henry sits at the table, reading the newspaper when Harvey enters and heads for the coffee machine. He is distressed to find the pot empty, and Henry sees his frustration.
HENRY
Harvey; here.
Henry offers his cup of coffee to Harvey, who sits at the table. He takes the cup and tips it back, sipping.
HARVEY
Thank you.
Henry nods, and Harvey drinks from the cup again.
HARVEY
So Henry; how are things.
HENRY
Things?
HARVEY
Things.
HENRY
Which things.
HARVEY
(significantly)
You know; THINGS. With Ronnie.
HENRY
Oh, THOSE things.
(considers)
They're good; really good. Brilliant,
in fact. So brilliant that I'm sure
it's all downhill from here.
(beat)
Kidding.
HARVEY
Can I share with you the one piece of
advice that got me through six decades
of marriage.
HENRY
This should be good.
HARVEY
There is nothing more life-affirming
than the orgasm.
HENRY
(beat; grins)
You're an okay cat, Harvey.
Harvey smiles proudly, and drinks from his cup again.
HARVEY
You're used to making things up that
aren't there, aren't you Henry?
HENRY
Okay; you lost me.
HARVEY
What I mean is that you artist-types
work in a world that isn't really real.
HENRY
(considers)
Oh; well, I guess I can dig that.
HARVEY
But my question is: how do you tell
them apart? How do you know what's
made up, and what isn't?
HENRY
Therein lies the difference between
genius and madness. Keeping the two
separate; remembering which is which.
HARVEY
How can I know that I'm not losing
my mind?
HENRY
The question is: what if you can't?
Harvey looks sufficiently unnerved.
INT. WINSLOW HIGH SCHOOL, CLASSROOM
Jeremy sits in one of the student desk in the front row, staring at the pictogram, when Marilyn enters the room. She stops in the room, watching him, seeing the student.
JEREMY
All my time chasing this case, and it
brought me back here. Is that destiny?
MARILYN
Maybe it is.
(beat)
How are you, Jeremy? Really.
JEREMY
Tired. I look like hell, and I feel
even worse. Police-years are harder
than human-years; that much is true.
MARILYN
Then why do you do it?
JEREMY
(laughs)
It may kill me 15 years earlier, but
this is the work I was built to do.
MARILYN
You're talking about purpose.
JEREMY
I spent a very long time looking in
a great many places for something
that I ultimately came to understand
I'd been carrying with me all along:
self-actualization. I guess I took
the scenic route to get from Point A
all the way back around to Point A.
MARILYN
What about your mother?
JEREMY
I don't think she likes what I do,
but I eventually accepted that her
disapproval is an unfortunate risk
that I have to be willing to take.
(beat; smiles)
She is proud of me, though; whether
she knows it or not.
Jeremy watches the pictogram, as Marilyn watches him.
INT. WINSLOW HIGH SCHOOL, MAIN OFFICE
Harvey shuffles into the office to find Scott behind the reception counter. On sight, Scott scrambles to intercept Harvey, cutting him off from bursting into Steven's office.
HARVEY
I need to speak with Steven.
SCOTT
Now is NOT the time, Harvey.
HARVEY
There IS no other time, Scott.
SCOTT
Harvey; you will have your chance to
tell Mr. Harper anything you can think
of, I assure you, but right now he is
occupied and you CANNOT interrupt him.
Harvey looks past Scott into Steven's office where he finds two adults sitting across the desk from the principal.
HARVEY
What could be so important --
SCOTT
He's talking with the Avery's.
Harvey looks to Scott, then back into the office. The two adults do indeed look grief-stricken; the woman has clearly been crying, while the man looks haggard and stoic. Steven himself is even struggling to hold it together.
HARVEY
Oh...
VIOLET MONTGOMERY enters the office, crossing to Scott.
VIOLET
Just stopped in to let you know I'm
heading out for the afternoon.
SCOTT
Very good. I won't even hazard a
guess as to when we might get out
of here this evening, what with the
world crashing down around our ears.
VIOLET
That's fine; just give me a call
when you have an idea.
SCOTT
Excellent.
VIOLET
I'll see you later tonight then.
Violet leans across the counter and kisses Scott.
HARVEY
Miss Montgomery. I saw one of your
films once.
SCOTT
Oh God; Harvey --
VIOLET
"Films." That's...something I've
never heard them called.
HARVEY
You have a real talent.
SCOTT
Damnit; have you no sense of --
HARVEY
When you broke down crying at the
end of Daisy's Lesson, I felt like
I really understood the innocence
that Daisy had sacrificed in order
to achieve her ambition.
Scott just stares at Harvey, confused and lost for words.
VIOLET
(moved)
Thank you, Harvey.
Violet turns to Scott and mouths "love you," then heads for the door as Steven and the Avery's exit his office.
STEVEN
...anything you need, at any time,
don't hesitate to pick up a phone.
MRS. AVERY
Thank you, Mr. Harper.
MR. AVERY
Really. For everything.
STEVEN
Absolutely. My door is always open.
Mr. Avery helps Mrs. Avery out of the main office as Steven heads back into his own office with Harvey following.
INT. WINSLOW HIGH SCHOOL, PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE
Steven heads for his seat as Harvey steps through the door.
STEVEN
Whatever it is Harvey, I'm almost
positive I don't have time for it.
HARVEY
Time, time; you and Scott, both of
you, so preoccupied with TIME.
STEVEN
Did you come here to discuss some-
thing, Harvey, or did you just want
to pontificate on the nature of time?
HARVEY
Time is a luxury too many take for
granted.
STEVEN
(smiles)
I was right. I don't have time for --
HARVEY
I'm not supposed to be here.
STEVEN
Are you quitting again? Because at
the rate you're going, I'm going to
have to --
HARVEY
I don't think I CAN quit, Steven.
STEVEN
(intrigued)
Oh no? Why's that?
Harvey crosses the office to the window, looks out at that steel-grey snow-sky, still threatening to erupt.
HARVEY
I don't think I can leave the building.
FADE TO BLACK
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