Storm of the Century (13 page)

138 INTERIOR: THE REAR OF THE MARKET, BY THE MEAT COUNTER.

Perhaps two dozen TOWNSFOLK have clogged the aisles, looking hopefully and fearfully toward the constable’s office door. To one side, glowering like a banked furnace, is ROBBIE. ROBBIE has now been joined by the other two members of his family . . . wife SANDRA and the charming DON, from day care. In the forefront of the TOWNSFOLK is MOLLY, with RALPHIE in her arms. When the door opens and she sees MIKE, she hurries forward. MIKE puts a reassuring arm around her.

You didn’t hurt him, Daddy, did you?

No, honey, just put him safe.

In the jail? Did you put him in the jail? What did he do?

Not now, Ralph.

He kisses the fairy saddle on RALPHIE’S nose and turns to the gathered people.
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Peter! Peter Godsoe!

People look around, MURMURING. After a moment or two, PETER GODSOE shoulders forward, looking embarrassed and blustery (also a little frightened).

Mike, about what that fellow said--that’s the biggest crock of-

Uh-huh. Go on back there with Hatch. We’re gonna watch this guy, and it’s gonna be by the buddy system.

(immensely relieved)

Okay. You bet.

He goes through the door to the constable’s office. MIKE, his arm still around MOLLY, faces his neighbors.

I feel like I have to have to close the store, folks.

(murmurs of reaction)

You’re welcome to take what you’ve got; I trust you to settle up when the storm’s over. Right now, I’ve got a prisoner to deal with.

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A worried-looking middle-aged woman, BELLA BISSONETTE, pushes forward.

Did that man really kill poor old Martha?

More murmurs this time--FRIGHTENED, UNBELIEVING. MOLLY is looking at her husband tensely. She also looks as if she wishes she could strike RALPHIE temporarily deaf.

In time you’ll have the whole story, but not now. Please, Delia--all of you--help me do my job. Grab your stuff and go home before the storm gets any worse. I want a few of you men to stick around a minute or two longer. Kirk Freeman . . . Jack Carver . . . Sonny Brautigan . . . Billy Soames . . . Johnny Harriman . . . Robbie . . . that’ll do for a start.

The men move forward as the others turn and start to go. ROBBIE looks typically puffed up with self-importance. BILLY has a wad of paper towels pressed to his nose.

139 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE’S OFFICE.

HATCH is at the desk, trying to use the radio. PETER looks at the cell, with nervous fascination. LINOGE, sitting on the bunk, looks back from between his spread knees and cocked feet.

Machias, this is Alton Hatcher on Little Tall. We have a police emergency here. Do you read, Machias?

Come on back, if you read.

Lets go of the button. There’s nothing but STATIC.

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Machias, this is Alton Hatcher on channel 19. If you read-

They don’t. You’ve lost your good antenna off your roof.

HATCH sighs. He knows it, too. He turns down the SOUND, muting the STATIC.

Try the phone.

HATCH gives him a startled look, then picks up the phone. He listens, pushes a few buttons at random, then hangs up.

No, huh? Well, it was a long shot.

PETER looks back toward LINOGE, who is staring at him. HATCH, meanwhile, is looking at PETER

with some fascination.

You don’t really have a load of Panama Red out there behind your lobster traps, do you?

PETER looks at him . . . and says nothing.

140 INTERIOR: THE REAR OF THE MARKET, FEATURING MOLLY, RALPHIE, MIKE.

The townspeople are on the move (except for the little group of men MIKE has singled out), draining
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toward the front of the market and the outside world. There’s a STEADY JINGLING from the bell over the door as folks leave.

You going to be all right?

Coss.

When will you be home?

When I can. Take the truck--you won’t get three hundred yards in the car. I’ve never seen it come down s’hard ‘n’ fast. I’ll use the Island Services truck, or get someone to drop me off when this is squared away. I have to go back to Martha’s house long enough to secure it.

There are a thousand questions she’d like to ask, but really can’t. Little pitchers have big ears. She kisses him on the corner of the mouth and turns to go.

141 INTERIOR: BY THE CASH REGISTER, WITH CAT AND TESS MARCHANT.

CAT is still SOBBING. TESS holds her and rocks her, but we can see she (TESS) is pretty blown away by what LINOGE said. MOLLY gives TESS a questioning look as she carries RALPHIE toward the door. TESS nods, as if to say she’s go it under control. MOLLY nods back and goes on out.

142 EXTERIOR: IN FRONT OF THE MARKET.

MOLLY carries RALPHIE carefully down the steps in what has become a BLINDING

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SNOWSTORM. She walks toward THE CAMERA, having to brace against the wind with every step .

. . and this baby is just getting warmed up.

(shouting to be heard)

The island won’t blow away, will it?

No, honey, of course not.

But MOLLY doesn’t look so sure.

143 EXTERIOR: THE CENTER OF TOWN, HIGH ANGLE.

The snow is coming down furiously. There are a few vehicles moving on Main and Atlantic, but they won’t be moving much longer. Little Tall Island is effectively cut off from the outside world. The WIND

SHRIEKS; the SNOW SHEETS; and we:

FADE TO BLACK. THIS ENDS ACT 5.

Act 6

144 EXTERIOR: THE TOWN, A HIGH ANGLE--LATE AFTERNOON.

This is the same shot we went out on, but it’s later, now--there isn’t much daylight left. The WIND

SHRIEKS.

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145 EXTERIOR: THE WOODED AREA SOUTH OF TOWN--LATE AFTERNOON.

We’re looking down at the SURGING OCEAN through a power-line cut. There’s a CRACKING

SOUND and a HUGE OLD PINE topples on the lines. They go down in a SHOWER OF SPARKS.

146 EXTERIOR: MAIN STREET--LATE AFTERNOON.

In a reprise of the first scene, all the lights, including the blinker at the intersection, GO OUT.

147 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE’S OFFICE, WITH HATCH AND PETER.

The LIGHTS GO OUT.

Aw, damn!

PETER makes no response. He’s looking at:

148 INTERIOR: THE JAIL CELL, FROM PETER’S POINT OF VIEW.

LINOGE is just a dark hump . . . except for his eyes. They GLOW with a TROUBLED RED LIGHT .

. . like wolf’s eyes.

149 INTERIOR: RESUME HATCH AND PETER.

HATCH is rummaging in the desk drawer. As he pulls out a flashlight, PETER seizes his arm.
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Look at him!

HATCH, startled, wheels to look at LINOGE. The prisoner is still sitting just as before, but there’s no WEIRD LIGHT shining out of his eyes. HATCH turns on the flashlight and hits LINOGE in the face with the beam. LINOGE looks back calmly.

(to PETER)

What?

I ... nothing.

He looks back toward LINOGE, perplexed and a little afraid.

Maybe you’ve been smokin’ too much of what you’re selling.

(mixed shame and anger)

Shut up, Hatch. Don’t talk about what you don’t understand.

150 INTERIOR: THE MARKET’S COUNTER, WITH MIKE AND TESS MARCHANT.

Looks like they’re the only two left, now, and with the lights out, the market is very dim--the front
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windows are big, but the light coming through them has started to fail. MIKE comes behind the counter and opens a UTILITY BOX built into the wall. Inside are circuit breakers and one larger switch. He flicks this one.

151 EXTERIOR: BEHIND THE MARKET--LATE DAY.

There’s a little shed marked GENERATOR to the left of the loading dock. An ENGINE STARTS UP

inside it, and blue smoke, immediately ripped away by the WIND, starts to chug from the exhaust stack.

152 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE’S OFFICE.

The lights come back on. HATCH SIGHS WITH RELIEF.

Hey . . . Pete.

He wants to apologize, and he wants PETER to help him with it a little, but PETER’S not in the mood. He walks away and looks at the bulletin board on the wall.

I was out of line.

Yeah, way out.

PETER turns and gives LINOGE a look. LINOGE looks back at him, SMILING FAINTLY.

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What are you looking at?

LINOGE doesn’t reply, just goes on looking at PETER with that FAINT SMILE. PETER turns back to the bulletin board, troubled. HATCH looks at PETER, wishing he could take back his smart-ass comment.

153 EXTERIOR: THE STORE’S PORCH, WITH MIKE AND TESS.

TESS is wearing a parka, gloves, and a pair of high gum-rubber boots. Still, the WIND rocks her on her feet, and MIKE has to steady her before going to the display window on one side of the door. Here, on either side of the window at the bottom, there are crank handles. MIKE grabs one, and TESS makes her way to the other. They crank as they talk (SHOUTING to be heard over the wind) and lower the slatted wooden STORM SHUTTER over the glass.

Will you be all right? Because I can give you a lift-

It’s the wrong direction! And I’m only six houses down ... as you well know. Don’t baby me!

He nods and gives her a smile. They move to the window on the other side of the door and lower the other storm shutter.

Mike? Do you have any idea why he came here, or why he’d want to kill Martha?

No. Go on home, Tess. Make yourself a fire. I’ll lock up.

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They finish with the shutter and move to the steps. TESS winces and tightens her hood as another gust slams into them.

You mind him careful. We don’t want him out and prowling around with this-(lifts her chin into the blizzard)

--going on.

Don’t worry.

She looks at him a moment longer and is reasonably comforted by what she sees. She nods and clumps down the snow-laden steps, holding tight to the railing as she goes. With her back to him, MIKE allows his face to show how worried he really is. Then he heads back inside and shuts the door. He turns the OPEN sign to CLOSED and pulls down the shade.

154 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE’S OFFICE.

MIKE comes in, still stamping the snow off his boots, and looks around. HATCH has found a second flashlight and has set out some candles, as well. PETER is still studying the litter of notices on the bulletin board. MIKE goes over to the bulletin board, taking a paper from his back pocket.

Everything okay back here?

Reasonably okay, but I can’t raise the state police in Machias. I can’t raise anybody.

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Doesn’t really surprise me.

He thumbtacks the scribbled duty roster to the bulletin board, where PETER immediately begins studying it. MIKE walks over to the desk and opens a bottom drawer.

(to HATCH)

You and Peter until eight, Kirk Freeman and Jack Carver from eight till midnight, Robbie Beals and Sonny Brautigan from midnight until four, Billy Soames and Johnny Harriman from four until eight tomorrow morning. After that, we’ll figure some more.

MIKE finds a small attaché case and a Polaroid camera. He takes them, shuts the drawer, and looks at the two men for comments. He gets only an awkward silence.

You guys all right with this?

(too hearty)

Fine.

Yeah, fine.

MIKE looks at them more closely and gets an idea of which way the wind is blowing. He opens the case--we catch a glimpse of various items that might come in handy if you’re a small-town police officer (big flashlight, bandages, first aid kit, etc.). He puts the Polaroid inside.

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Stay alert. Both of you. Understand?

No reply. HATCH is embarrassed, PETER is sulky. MIKE looks back at LINOGE, who looks at him with that faint smile.

Later on we’re going to have that talk you wanted, sir.

He closes the case and starts for the door. A HUGE GUST OF WIND hits the building, making it CREAK. Out back, something falls over with a CRASH. HATCH winces.

What do we do with him if Robbie and Ursula decide to blow the town whistle and bring everybody in?

We can’t very well sit him in a corner of the town hall basement with a blanket and a cup of chowder.

I don’t know. Stay right here with him, I guess.