ACT FOUR

FADE IN:

I/E. GOLD FORD ESCORT - DAY

BRASS (O.S.)
Nick?

Dark and light flash around him as Nick comes to.

BRASS (O.S.)
Nicky, wake up.

WaRRICK (O.S.)
Nick, come on man. Wake up.

STATE PATROLMAN (O.S.)
Deep inhale, Nick.

He obeys.

STATE PATROLMAN (o.S.)
Exhale, Nick.

Nick breathes out.

Peter (O.S.)
We should just get him to the ambulance.
He's probably too drunk to walk.

WaRRICK (O.S.)
Drunk? We're not drunk.

Nick can make out blurry figures around him.

STATE PATROLMAN
He's not drunk. Didn't even move
the breathalyzer.

BRASS
This damned psychiatrist put him on
some meds and the side effects are
being hard on him.

PETER
Well it must be some good shit,
because the guy that found him said
he was talking to Warrick and he
was still talking to him when I got
here. Warrick's been dead for a
year, Jim.

Nick's vision clears. He focuses on Brass, and paramedic PETE, and a STATE PATROLMAN behind them. He looks out the windshield. The glass is cracked but hasn't shattered. A telephone pole is smashed the right front panel into the engine block. He tries to bolt from the car but Brass and Peter stop him.

BRASS
Easy. Easy, Nicholas.

NICK
(freaked out)
How the hell did I get here?

BRASS
We were hoping you could answer. You
haven't been drinking, have you?

Nick shakes his head.

NICK
I don't even know how I got here. I
remember being in Vegas, parked,
and talking to a postman. That's
the last thing I remember.

PETER
Nick, you're starting to hyperventilate.
You need to calm down, Nick.

WARRICK
(sarcastic)
Yeah. Calm down, Nick. By now, we
should be used to finding ourselves
in strange places with no memory of
how we got there.

STATE PATROLMAN
If he can walk to your car, Jim,
you can take him to the hospital. I
have to insist on a drug panel regardless
of what he's prescribed.

Brass nods. He takes Nick's arm and helps him out. The two walk to his car and get in.

I/E. BRASS' CAR - DAY

The two don't talk for a while. Nick glances in the side mirror, seeing Warrick sitting in the back.

BRASS
Are you really okay, Tex?

NICK
I just wish I knew how I got there.
Do you have any idea how scary it
is to wake up with no memory of
something like that?

BRASS
I can imagine. Maybe you should stop taking the stuff she gave you.

Nick sighs, resting his head against the window.

BRASS
Let me guess. You don't remember taking one.

NICK
No.

BRASS
Aw, Nick. That's not good. What do
you remember?

NICK
I went to talk to a patient that I
always see in Julia's office. The
front door of his house was open
and there was a car running in the
garage. I think he was in it.

BRASS
And how did you get his address?

Nick lifts his head and smiles.

NICK
Well, Jim, the phone company puts
out these amazing things called
phone books. They have people's
names, address, phone numbers.

Brass chuckles.

BRASS
All right, smart alec. I was just
making sure you hadn't found him
illegally, is all. Did you call it
into the police?

NICK
That's when things get lost. I went
out to my car to get my cell and it
wasn't in there. I turned around
and this postman was there. I asked
him if he could call the police and
that's the very last thing I remember.

Brass thinks this over.

BRASS
When you were talking to the postman
is where your memories stop?

NICK
Yeah.

BRASS
Where's this place you were at?

Nick searches his pockets and finds the piece of paper. It now has three addresses on it and that confuses him, something Brass notices.

BRASS
What's wrong?

NICK
I could have sworn I only wrote
down two addresses on this. I
must've found Nate's after all.
Weird. Anyway, the address is
fourteen twelve Hacienda Avenue.

Brass places a call.

BRASS
Yeah. Detective Brass. Have you
received a call today for a fourteen
twelve Hacienda Avenue? Can you
double check for me? It would have
been either under a welfare check
or suspicious activity — there
would have been a car running in
the garage. Okay. Thanks.
(hangs up)
Nothing was reported. We'll check
it out after the hospital.

NICK
I swear I'm not making this up. I
didn't take anything. I don't know
how I got out there.

BRASS
I believe you, but let's not start
jumping procedure. Don't want someone
taking a close look at you right
now, not with everything that's
been happening.

WaRRICK AND NICK
Everything that's been happening?

BRASS
The vindictive psychiatrist. That
incident between you and Catherine
a while back. Twice you've been
found out of it. I don't think we
should give IA something to gnaw on
right now.

Nick turns his attention out the window.

EXT. HACIENDA ALLEY - DAY

Nick, Warrick, and Brass stare into the empty garage. Brass looks at him.

NICK
I swear to you, Jim, there was a
car in here, running, and there was
someone inside. And the front door
was not locked, it was wide open. I
am not making this up!

BRASS
No body, no crime. No car, no crime.

NICK
Could you at least put out a
missing persons on him?

Brass isn't entirely convinced.

BRASS
I tell you what I'll do. I'll drop
you off, then come back and have a
chat with his neighbors. If anything
looks out of place, even a little,
I'll fill it out myself. Deal?

Nick nods.

BRASS
Let's go. There's nothing else we
can do here.

Nick doesn't move. Brass does feel sorry for him.

BRASS
I'll be waiting in the car, Tex.

Brass closes the garage door and walks down the alley to his waiting car.

WARRICK
We both saw it.

NICK
Having your hallucination admit to
seeing it doesn't make it feel any
less crazy, Warrick.

Nick turns and starts walking toward Brass.

NICK
Now to face the rental car company.
My insurance is going to love me
when this is all over.

Warrick pats his shoulder, sympathizing with his human counterpart.

INT. SAVERS CAR RENTAL - DAY

Nick walks in and stops at the counter. Customer service rep, KATRINA, looks away from her work with a welcoming smile.

NICK
Hi...
(reads her name tag)
Katrina. I had an accident with my car.

Her smile vanishes

KATRINA
What kind of accident?

NICK
It's wrapped around a telephone
pole. The tow truck probably got
here a little bit ago with it. I
guess I need to fill out something
and rent another one. It was through
my insurance while my vehicle is
being repaired.

KATRINA
Name?

NICK
Nicholas Stokes.

She taps away at the computer and looks very confused.

KATRINA
Sir, your car wasn't returned damaged.

NICK
You must have me confused with
someone else. It would have been
brought in a few hours ago and
completely trashed.

Warrick appears behind him.

KATRINA
No, sir, it was returned this
morning, and in good condition.

WARRICK
Something hinky is going on here.

NICK
I was driving it this morning and
when I last saw it, that car was in
anything but good condition.

She starts to argue, but then smiles.

KATRINA
Wait here, sir.

She walks off before he can argue. He watches her go to a desk at the back. Katrick is sitting at it, wearing another disguise. The two talk, then they come back to the front desk. Nick stares at him.

KATRICK
I'm Steve, the manager. How can I
help you?

NICK
Have we met before? You look
familiar.

KATRICK
Perhaps we met when you picked up
your car. Katrina tells me that we
have an issue.

NICK
The issue is I ran my car into a
telephone pole yesterday and I need
to rent another. Why does she think
I returned it this morning?

KATRICK
We're showing you returned your car
this morning undamaged.

NICK
I woke up in it and it was wrecked. How
could I have returned it at all?

KATRICK
If you woke up in a wrecked car,
sir, it wasn't a Savers rental.
You returned yours.

NICK
No. I didn't return mine. I--

KATRICK
Katrina said you needed to rent another?

NICK
Yes, but--

KATRICK
I'll take care of the paperwork
right away. Katrina, bring up
the Taurus. Wait here, sir.

WARRICK
How did he get to be a manger?

The two leave before Nick can argue.

WARRICK
Welcome to the Twilight Zone.
Reality and customer service have
both been checked at the door.

NICK
What the hell is going on?

Human and hallucination are both baffled.

I/E. SAVERS CAR RENTAL - DAY

Nick drives slowly down the streets of Shell Beach community. The houses here are expensive. The cars in their driveways are expensive. The front yards are perfectly manicured.

NICK
1634 Marina.

Nick slows to a stop in front of the house.

EXT. 1634 MARINA - DAY

Nick walks up to the front door. As he reaches out to tap the doorbell Warrick appears next to him. Warrick checks out the neighborhood while Nick waits. The door opens and Nate Hutchins stares at him.

NICK
Hi.

NATE
Hello. What are you doing at my house?

His tone grabs Warrick's attention.

NICK
I hadn't seen you for a few
sessions and was making sure
everything was alright.

NATE
(terse)
I'm fine.

WARRICK
I don't think he appreciates your
concern for his well-being Nick.
Wrap this up and let's check on Miranda.

NICK
I was just making sure. Sorry to
have bothered you.

NATE
How did you get my address? I'm unlisted.

That throws Nick.

WARRICK
How did we find his address? We did
the Internet thing and looked at
four years of phone books.

NICK
Have you always been unlisted?

WARRICK
Yes.

NICK
I'm sorry, Nate. This is probably a
little creepy then. I'll go. Sorry
to have bothered you.

Nick turns to leave.

NATE
Did you check on Miranda and Hugh too?

Nick turns back. Warrick is standing right next to Nate, glaring at him. He looks down at Nick.

WARRICK
Just go. He's been acting funny
since we got here. He's probably
Julia's little spy or something.

NICK
Yeah. Hugh wasn't home. I'm off to
visit Miranda next.

NATE
I'll join you. Let me lock up.

Nate goes back inside. Warrick walks down to Nick, both staring at the door.

WARRICK
What was that?

Nick shrugs. He walks back to his car and gets in, unlocking the passenger door.

I/E. SAVERS CAR RENTAL - DAY

Warrick sits in the passenger seat. Nate comes out and trots up to the car, sitting right in the middle of Warrick.

What's left of Warrick vanishes and he reappears in the back seat, glaring at Nate. Nick almost laughs, but stops it. He starts the car and heads down the street.

WARRICK
Why'd he want to go? Ask him.

NICK
Why'd you want to go?

NATE
I haven't seen them or your lately
either. Not since Julia changed my
days and times.

Nick doesn't respond to that.

NATE
You talk more in the waiting room.

NICK
I'm stressed. Have a lot on my mind
right now.

NATE
A policeman that's stressed? That's
unheard of.

NICK
Criminalist and I hope that was sarcasm.

NATE
It was. So what don't you do that
cops do?

NICK
I don't arrest people, and they
don't let me have handcuffs. Probably
for the best, there's a few times I would
have liked to have handcuffed a suspect.

NATE
Do you just investigate murders and stuff?

NICK
No. We investigate other stuff.

NATE
Such as?

NICK
Robbery, identity theft, embezzlement.

NATE
Fraud?

Nick nods.

NATE
Are people who commit fraud treated the
same as those who killed someone?

NICK
That's not my call. I just gather
the evidence.

NATE
You should question the morals
behind that. It doesn't seem like
they should be put in the same
place as murderers and rapists.

WARRICK
(angry)
And why is that, Nate? You
committing fraud? Nick, take this
loser home and leave him there. He
should not be on this ride, man.

Nick ignores them both.

EXT. 214 CHEYENNE AVENUE - DAY

Nick knocks on the front door. Nate stands to his left, Warrick on his right. Warrick has developed an obvious hatred for Nate.

NATE
You've been knocking for three
minutes. Are you always this persistent?

WARRICK
You whine, know that? You are the
world's biggest whiner. All you've
done since we left your place is
whine, whine, WHINE!

Nick pinches the bridge of his nose. This is what a father feels like with two bickering children.

NATE
She's not home. Let's go.

WARRICK
We know how to kill people and make them
disappear. Let's just kill him.

Nick looks at Warrick, appalled by his hallucination's suggestion. Warrick smiles.

WARRICK
No killing. Gotcha. How about duct
tape over the mouth? That's doable,
isn't it?

That makes Nick smile and look away. All three look at the door when it opens a crack. An ELDERLY LADY peaks from inside, looking at Nick, then Nate, and then, oddly, at Warrick.

NICK
Hi, ma'am. I'm Nick Stokes with the
-- a friend of Miranda's. Is she--

Nick's fast catch makes Nate look at him.

ELDERLY LADY
She's not here.

She starts to close the door. He gently pushes it open.

NICK
Do you know when she'll be back?

ELDERLY LADY
She left two days ago and hasn't called.

She tries to close the door and he again pushes it back.

NICK
Any idea where I might find her?

ELDERLY LADY
She went to the lake with her contact.
They were waiting for her there.

This lady sounds just like Miranda.

NICK
Did she mention which lake?

ELDERLY LADY
Mead. They only go to Mead.

NICK
Does she have a car? Can you tell
me what it looks like?

ELDERLY LADY
It's blue.

The woman tries to close the door; Nick once again gently pushes it back.

NICK
Ma'am, it's really important that I
find her before they do. Please tell
me about the car so I can find her
before they take her.

ELDERLY LADY
They're after her?

NICK
I think so. I overheard someone
at the table behind me today.
They were talking about Miranda.

ELDERLY LADY
(terrified)
Oh no! No! It's light blue.

NICK
Do you know what the license plates say?

ELDERLY LADY
Tuto.

NICK
Tuto, ma'am?

Warrick steps closer to the door. She gasps and slams it shut. They can hear the locks engage inside. Nick turns and heads back to the car with Nate and Warrick tailing him.

NATE
Do you always do that? Play into
them like that?

NICK
Only if I have to.

NATE
Don't you feel bad about doing it?

Nick walks around to the driver's side of his car, unlocking the doors. He looks over the top at Nate.

NICK
Not if it saves and protects lives.

Nick gets in.

I/E. SAVERS CAR RENTAL - DAY

Nate gets in the car. Warrick leans in from the back seat so he can continue glaring at Nate.

NATE
So how has stopping a forger ever
saved and protected lives?

WARRICK AND NICK
Is there something you're hiding or trying
to tell me? Are you a forger?

NATE
No. Just asking. Can we stop at a
gas station? I need some water.

NICK
Sure.

WARRICK
Could we leave him there too? I
need to get a good laugh in.

Nick rolls his lips together to keep from laughing.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT FOUR