Chapter 9:
INT. GALE AND DEWEY'S BEACH – HOUSE – AFTERNOON
GALE: You can't leave!
DEWEY: (packing up) I have to! Billy's Dad – murdered. Sheriff Burke needs me!
GALE: Tatum needs you!
DEWEY: No – she needs you. She's still not allowed to leave town. Please Gale, I'm counting on you. (smiles) I'll be back as soon as possible.
He kisses her, before walking out the door. She stands there, watching him. She looks at a table and sees he forgot his badge.
GALE: Dewey! Wait!
Too late. He's gone. Then a devious smiles crosses her face as he clutches the badge in her fingers …
GALE: Alright Gale – let's reinvent yourself.
CUT TO:
INT. SAN MARTIN INLET POLICE STATION – EVENING
Billy sits at a table with a cup of coffee, just simply … staring into space. Sarah is with him, arm around him.
BILLY: … I was just on the phone with him …
SARAH: Billy – it's not your fault. You couldn't have –
BILLY: I should have seen this coming! Tatum was right, I should've listened to her!
SARAH: Well will you listen to me? You couldn't have foreseen this. It's not your fault, okay? You're going to get through this. I'm here. I'm going to help you.
He looks at Sarah … emotion overcomes him.
BILLY: Why are you still with me?
SARAH: … Because I love you …
BILLY: You … love me?
She nods. They kiss. Billy turns, staring at the wall, new fire in his eyes.
BILLY: He better hope Dewey gets him before I do … because I swear … I'm going to kill him … if it's the last thing I ever do …
Tatum and James burst in. Billy stands up as Tatum throws her arms around him. She's crying.
TATUM: Billy, I'm so sorry! I don't know –
BILLY: You don't have to say anything, Tatum.
TATUM: I'm here for you. Okay, anything you need …
Behind her, Sarah flashes a jealous frown, a move that does not go unnoticed by James.
TATUM: (taking his hand) Let's go back to the house … okay? Come on -.
Detective Wayne enters.
WAYNE: Not so fast – we have some questions for Mr. Loomis here. And you too, Miss Riley.
TATUM: Can't it wait? Can't you see what he's going through?
Wayne frowns.
WAYNE: We triangulated the call you received, Ms. Riley. It came from a private line, we're working identifying the IP address. But we were able to triangulate where the call came from – here in the inlet. So tell me, how did the killer murder Mr. Loomis in Woodsboro and then get here to call you within ten minutes?
BILLY: (looks up, eyes red) There are two killers …
WAYNE: Two?
BILLY: Like last time – Sidney and Cotton. One in Woodsboro – and one here.
WAYNE: (scratching his head) I haven't heard back from Rogers … she went up to Woodsboro to check out that hotel, though I imagine now she'll be working with Sheriff Burke and Deputy Riley on this murder. Looks like I'm flying solo here … that's why I need your help. Can you think of anything – anything at all that can solve this?
The door behind them opens. Debbie Loomis storms in, cops trying to hold her back.
COP #1: You can't just barge in there -.
DEBBIE: Watch me!
BILLY: Mom?
Wayne holds out a hand letting the other cop know it's okay.
DEBBIE: (hugging her son) Are you okay? Oh honey, I'm here to take you home. It'll be okay. Your father is insufferable as always, but he'll be along soon, I just came from there.
BILLY: (drawing away from her) Mom ... didn't you hear?
DEBBIE: Hear what, sweetie?
BILLY: Dad is … is …
WAYNE: His body was found just an hour ago.
DEBBIE: (confused) What are you talking about?
WAYNE: He was murdered. And … you said you just came from there …
DEBBIE: Well yeah, I went to see him …
WAYNE: So you were the last one who saw him?
DEBBIE: Well yes, but not to implicate myself –.
WAYNE: Ma'am, we're going to have to insist you stay here at the station. We have some questions for you.
DEBBIE: I … well crap, try to be a good mother and this is the thanks I get. Fine, fine. Where do you want me?
WAYNE: We'll make sure you have the proper accommodations.
CUT TO:
EXT. OCEAN BOULEVARD – AFTERNOON
Billy is storming down the Boulevard. In the distance is the amusement park which is now officially open for business. The giant Ferris Wheel is spinning.
Sarah, Tatum and James follow in tow.
TATUM: Billy!
He keeps walking.
TATUM: (grabbing his arm, spinning him around) Billy would you talk to us?
BILLY: I know what you're gonna say – my mother may have abandoned us, she may have threatened to kill my father, but there's no way she actually did it!
TATUM: Billy –
BILLY: I'm not arguing with you Tatum!
TATUM: Would you just shut up and listen?! I agree with you!
BILLY: You – what?
TATUM: She's too obvious. If she had just committed murder, why would she drive three hours up here and storm into the police station?
SARAH: (getting annoyed) Look, all this talk of murder isn't helping! He just lost his Dad!
She takes Billy's arm.
SARAH: Come on – I'll take you home.
Tatum stands there, watching Sarah walk Billy down the Boulevard. She turns to James with an eyebrow raised.
JAMES: Hey, at least there's more excitement than if we were wedding planning!
CUT TO:
INT. BEACH HOUSE – AFTERNOON
Bryson, Shane, Greg, Ashley, Carrie and Prudence are hanging out, drinking. Greg is furiously typing on a computer.
CARRIE: This is ridiculous. A murder in Woodsboro! How can the police still think it's any of us? Have they forgotten we're not allowed to leave town?
BRYSON: Look – everyone – we gotta be there for Billy now. He's gonna need us –
SHANE: Since when have you ever been there for Billy? What about two years ago when his crazy-girlfriend went off crazier than usual?
BRYSON: You weren't there for him either. That's why we need to be here for him now. To make up for it. All of us.
They hear people outside.
ASHLEY: I think they're back!
The door opens and in enters Billy, Sarah, Tatum and James. Billy sees the atmosphere in the room change. Shane comes up to him, fakely sweet.
SHANE: Heyyy buddy …
BILLY: Cut the crap. I'm taking this guy down. I'm killing him with my own hands. Anyone that wants to help – feel free. Anyone that gets in my way – step aside.
SARAH: Billy, not that I don't like this side of you, but -.
TATUM: Sarah … let him vent.
Billy is pacing, fury the likes of which we've never seen before.
BILLY: My father was not a perfect man. Cheated on my mom, caused her to take off on us. But he was still there for me. He was still a good father … he was my pop …
SARAH: Billy-love … I know you're upset – but you need to let the cops -.
BILLY: The cops couldn't figure out shit last time! Why would this time be any different?
Sarah pulls back as though she'd been stung.
BILLY: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap.
Sarah caresses his arm.
SARAH: I get it …
BRYSON: You want to catch this guy, Billy? Well so do I! After what he did to the Captain, I could go for a nice deep dish of ice cold revenge.
SARAH: You guys don't even know what you're up against!
CARRIE: Correction – who.
SARAH: Excuse me?
Carrie is leaning against a mantle, smiling. Finally … she's in her element.
TATUM: Carrie?
CARRIE: Look, most of us have been friends for a long time. How many hours have we spent watching old horror flicks? You're telling me we can't put our heads together and figure this out?
PRUDENCE: This isn't high school anymore -.
CARRIE: Exactly! We're older, smarter.
She's pacing now.
CARRIE: Last time, it began with a murder mystery! Maureen Prescott. Only, there were some added wrinkles thrown in. Gale Weathers' documentary threw doubt on his guilt. Evidence missed, Dewey's incompetence – no offense Tatum …
TATUM: None taken.
CARRIE: It was all looking like Cotton was actually innocent. But then here's the kicker – you all got sucker punched! He really did do it! And it was so obvious he was guilty, right in plain sight, that's why it was missed!
TATUM: So you're saying the obvious is the answer?
CARRIE: Sure. Why not? The killer could have been staring us all in the face right along. Hello? I Still Know What You Did Last Summer anyone?
The rest of the room nods in semi-agreement.
SHANE: Then if the killer is so obvious, why haven't we figured it out yet?
CARRIE: Because we don't know the rules … these things used to have formulas to follow. No sex. No drugs. But as society's norms changed, so did the rules. We're in horror land limbo right now with remakes left and right, and good slashers few and far between. We now have Shared Universes and supernatural thrillers like The Conjuring series. From Annabelle to La Llorona – it's hard to follow rules since most of the flicks are supernatural with no flesh and blood killers. There's nothing to compare the slasher genre to anymore.
BRYSON: I agree … that's what it makes it hard because who knows? Maybe spreading jam on toast will get you killed these days.
SHANE: Uh, no slasher flicks anymore? Ever hear of The Strangers? The Purge? Cabin in the Woods, am I alone in this?
CARRIE: I'll grant you Cabin in the Woods. The Purge – maybe. The Strangers? Bland protagonists who quite frankly got on my nerves. It was like a slasher parody, it insisted upon itself.
SHANE: Okay Peter Griffin.
CARRIE: In any event, cinema is a dying art. It's time to shake things up a bit! Reboots are where it's at now. Chucky, Danny McBride's Halloween. They ignore all the movies that came before and start fresh. Forget what you think you know about the past. It's irrelevant. Laurie is Michael's sister? Nuh uh, not anymore. 'Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.'
BILLY: (realizing) Veronica and Brian … we all thought they were collateral of Sidney and Cotton …
CARRIE: As I said, forget what you thought about the past.
SARAH: And how is this helping us find the killer?
BILLY: (eyes widening) Because my dad's death has nothing to do with what came before… nothing at all to do with Maureen Prescott …
BRYSON: How can you be so sure? This is all supposition. We're not in a reboot anymore – that was Sidney and Cotton. Wouldn't this be a sequel?
CARRIE: Yes … and maybe no … but the point is … the killer is almost certainly among us now …
PRUDENCE: (sighs) Guess I won't be getting laid after all …