ACT THREE

FADE IN:

INT. ART FLEISCHER'S OFFICE

Art is reading notes, typing on his computer, and generally
doing several things at once.

Vicki pops her head through the open doorway.

VICKI
You've got a meeting with Tolliver
in Metro in ten minutes. The
housing project thing?

FLEISCHER
(without looking up)
Right.
(pause)
Where's the Planning Commission
file?

Vicki, who had left, swivels back.

VICKI
Roger took it.

FLEISCHER
I'm not done with it.

VICKI
He had a deadline.

FLEISCHER
Get it back.

VICKI
Don't you have a meeting?

FLEISCHER
I want it on my desk when I get
back.

VICKI
Okay, okay...

Fleischer is half out of his chair when he notices a blinking
box in the corner of his computer screen. He sits back down
and uses his mouse to open a set of windows; and his eyes
narrow as he reads the screen. He reaches for his phone and
speed-dials a number.

FLEISCHER
Come on, come on...

He hangs up the phone and clicks his mouse once more. Then he
jumps up, snatches a sheet of paper as it emerges from the
printer, and rushes out, brushing by Vicki.

FLEISCHER (CONT'D)
(calling over his shoulder)
Cancel my meeting!

VICKI
Wha—? Where are you going?

But he is already halfway to the elevator.

VICKI (CONT'D)
(mimicking)
"I'm sorry, my boss has
temporarily lost his mind. I'll
be sure to have him call you as
soon as he regains his sanity."

CUT TO:

INT. MCQUEEN LIVING ROOM - LATER

The front door opens and Brooke walks in. She opens her mouth
to call out, but then thinks better of it. She is eyeing the
stairs when the door opens behind her, making her yelp and
spin around. Jane and Mike come in, pushing Mackenzie in a
stroller.

BROOKE
Dad! Jane!

MIKE
Oh, good, you're here.

BROOKE
(cautiously)
Yeah?

MIKE
Go tell Sam we're all going out
for Saturday supper.

BROOKE
(shaking her head slowly)
Oh...no, that's a really bad idea.
A really, really bad idea.
Really.

JANE
(frowning)
It's a good idea.

BROOKE
Noo, trust me, it really isn't.

JANE
(folds her arms)
Don't tell me you and Sam are
fighting again.

Brooke looks away guiltily.

JANE (CONT'D)
Well, this'll be a good
opportunity for you to work things
out.
(sighs)
Fine, I'll get Sam.

As Jane heads up the stairs, Brooke turns to her father.

BROOKE
Dad, is there any way at all I can
get out of this?

MIKE
Sorry, honey. You know, Jane just
wants things to work out between
the two of you.

He puts his arm around her shoulder.

MIKE (CONT'D)
And so do I.

BROOKE
Dad, really, I don't think—

But suddenly from upstairs comes:

JANE
MIKE!

Mike and Brooke trade a glance, and go running for the stairs.

CUT TO:

INT. SAM'S BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Brooke and Mike crowd into the doorway together, to find Jane
standing in the middle of the room—which is a mess, with
opened dresser drawers and clothes strewn on the bed and on
the closet floor, which is otherwise empty.

BROOKE
Oh, my God, Sam...

JANE
(hysterical)
Why? Why would she do this?

Mike turns to Brooke.

MIKE
Do you know what this is about?

Brooke closes her eyes and hangs her head before finally
nodding reluctantly.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. MCQUEEN LIVING ROOM - LATER

Brooke is sitting across from Mike and Jane.

BROOKE
...and then Harrison took off
after her. I haven't heard from
either one of them since.

For a few moments Mike and Jane just sit there, looking at
her. Then Jane shakes her head angrily.

JANE
I can't believe you did this.
What were you thinking?

BROOKE
But, I—I didn't know...Sam wasn't
supposed to come home—

JANE
It shouldn't have happened at all!
Not at all!

She jumps up and begins to pace; and then turns to Mike.

JANE (CONT'D)
We have to find her.

MIKE
All right, we'll split up, cover
her friends, where she might have
gone...

BROOKE
I can—

Mike cuts her off sharply.

MIKE
(severely)
YOU won't do anything. You are
going to stay right here, and hope
we can find Sam before anything
happens to her. You've already
caused enough damage.

Brooke's face crumples.

MIKE (CONT'D)
I'm very disappointed in you,
Brooke.

She breaks out in sobs, leaps to her feet and runs upstairs.
Mike looks as if he might be regretting his outburst—but then
the doorbell rings. He gets up and opens the door, and
Fleischer brushes past him.

FLEISCHER
Is Sam here?

He pulls up short at the sight of Jane's anguished expression.
Mike closes the door behind him.

FLEISCHER (CONT'D)
What's going on?

MIKE
We think...Sam's run away.

JANE
Do you know something about this?

FLEISCHER
(sighs)
I just got a very disturbing
e-mail from her.

He takes a piece of paper out of his pocket and hands it to
Mike, who unfolds it.

MIKE
(reading)
"Dear Art: I'm sorry, but
something has come up, and I have
to go away. I really appreciate
the opportunity you gave me, and I
hope you can forgive me someday.
Sam."

JANE
Oh, Sam... What do we do? We
can't call the police until
midnight.

FLEISCHER
It doesn't matter—they won't take
it seriously anyway.

JANE
(astounded)
Why NOT?

FLEISCHER
First, she'll be classified a
runaway, not a kidnap victim.
Second, she's almost eighteen.
The older the person is, the lower
priority it gets. In a few months
it won't be called running away,
it'll be called "moving out".

MIKE
We just have to find her
ourselves, then.

FLEISCHER
Right. Our best hope is that
she's gone to one of her friends.
If not...we'll have to check the
bus station, the train station—
even the airport, if she's got
enough money; and knowing how
resourceful Sam is, she's probably
got all the money she can get her
hands on.

CUT TO:

INT. BROOKE'S BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Mike appears in the open doorway. Brooke is sitting on the
bed, her back to him.

MIKE
(brusquely)
Brooke, we're going. You stay
here and look after Mac.

No response.

MIKE (CONT'D)
All right?

She turns her head just slightly and nods, once.

MIKE (CONT'D)
After we've found Sam, we'll talk
more.

She doesn't acknowledge that, either, and after a moment Mike
turns away and heads back down the hall.

CUT TO:

INT. MCQUEEN LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Jane is putting Mackenzie in her crib when Mike runs back down
the stairs.

MIKE
All right, we'll split up. We can
cover three times the ground that
way.

JANE
Wait—should we call her friends
first, before we go out looking?

Fleischer holds up his cell phone.

FLEISCHER
The miracle of modern technology:
we do both at the same time.

Jane picks up her back and hurries out; Fleischer is at the
door when Mike catches him by the elbow, holding him back.

MIKE
(quietly)
What's the worst-case scenario?

FLEISCHER
(grimacing)
Worst-case? If she decides to
skip town, and we don't find her
before she does...we probably
never will.

CUT TO:

EST. THE BUS STATION

An exterior shot from the rear, with buses pulling in and out.

CUT TO:

INT. THE BUS STATION

Sam steps up to one of the windows at the ticket counter.

SAM
I'd like a one-way ticket to New
York City, please.

CLERK
That'll be one-seventy-two forty.

Sam counts off a bunch of twenties and pushes them across the
counter, and a few moments later picks up her ticket and
change.

SAM
Thanks.

She walks through the waiting area to an empty seat, unslings
her duffel bag and sits down. She looks up at the huge
departure board on the wall...

INSERT: THE DEPARTURE BOARD

A line reading across: "LAS VEGAS - ST LOUIS - CHICAGO - NEW
YORK", "BAY 6", and "245PM".

...and then checks her watch.

INSERT: SAM'S WATCH

which shows 2:07.

With a little sigh, she settles back in her seat.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT THREE