Monday, April 11, 2016

NEST OF VIPERS Ep # 2 (C)

….following on…


35 INT. LIVING ROOM. NICK’S APARTMENT. NIGHT

ANGELA, naked, sits astride NICK’S thighs; glass of wine in hand. He is still dressed. She laughs, sips on her wine; exclaims:

ANGELA
Serial monogamist.

NICK
Faithful to one brand of cereal at a time?

NICK caresses her body with his hands.

ANGELA
Yes.

NICK
And this is not being unfaithful? You, naked…

ANGELA laughs, shakes her head.

ANGELA
No, this is just petting. Pettings OK. I think. (A BEAT) Fuck, I don’t know!

NICK places his hand between her legs; massages her.

ANGELA
Mmmm. You are a good petter...but...

She pulls his hand away from her crotch.

NICK
My hand is being unfaithful?

ANGELA laughs, wraps her arms around NICK’S neck, kisses him passionately for a long moment; nestles her head in the nape of his neck; looks at:

The Nest of Vipers collage, focusing her attention on:

The colour photo of the Virgin Islands, with the headline: “British Virgin Islands growing rich as a global tax haven.”

A shadow passes over ANGELA’S face. She sighs.

ANGELA
Love is fucking complicated eh?

NICK
Love?

ANGELA
Love! Lust. Loneliness! It’s not always easy...

NICK
You’ve fallen in lust?

ANGELA’S laugh gives way to a smile, then a look of confusion.

ANGELA
I don’t know what I’ve fallen in. Into. (A BEAT) Sometimes, when you are lonely...

NICK
Do you feel lonely, now? I mean right now, now? With me?

She looks at him for a long moment; shakes her head.

ANGELA
No. No, not lonely. A little scared though...

NICK
Of?

ANGELA shakes her head; makes a rapid shift of emotional gears.

ANGELA
I shouldn’t be here.

She stands, reaches down for her knickers and bra.

NICK
Where should you be?

ANGELA
Not here. I’m sorry but...

As she dresses:

NICK
It’s OK. I understand.

ANGELA
No you don’t.

NICK (smiles)
OK, I don’t understand.

ANGELA smiles sheepishly; reaches for her shirt.

36 INT. HALLWAY. PALATIAL HOME. NIGHT

KEK, her head only seen from behind, walks down a hallway lined with Chinese antique furniture, ceramic vases, paintings, silk wall hangings and other expensive art works.

37 INT. LIVING ROOM. NICK’S APARTMENT. NIGHT

ANGELA, dressed now, hugs NICK.

ANGELA
Sorry, I’m just a bit...

NICK
It’s OK.

ANGELA
I should...(go).

NICK nods. She hesitates a moment.

ANGELA
After a cuppa?

NICK
Coming up.

A LITTLE LATER

NICK, in the kitchen area, prepares two cups of tea in the background as ANGELA looks at the notice board. Alongside the Nest of Vultures collage are various miscellaneous newspaper clippings, photos, take-away menus and other odds and ends.

One newspaper clipping in particular catches her attention - from the Financial section of a newspaper. Alongside a photo of Stair Morecombe.

MORECOMBE’S BOLD MOVE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES ICON

ANGELA scans Nick’s cluttered desk; picks a manuscript, crudely stapled together, with “THE BOYS” written on the front. She flips it open:

A rough draft with typos and corrections highlighted.

NICK walks up with two mugs of tea.

ANGELA
One of your short stories?

NICK nods.

ANGELA
Can I read it?

NICK
It’s not finished.

ANGELA
Good, I will be able to give you some feedback.

NICK
I’d rather you waited. It’s....rough..

ANGELA
I like ‘rough’.

She bares her teeth playfully, as if to bite him; folds the story in two, puts in her picket; takes her mug of tea from NICK; gestures to the ‘STAIR’ newspaper clipping.

ANGELA
Your mysterious brother?

NICK smiles, holds his hand up. He does not want to talk about Stair.

38 INT. STAIRWELL. PALATIAL HOME. NIGHT

KEK’S POV as she and ELEGANT KHMER WOMAN make their way up a spiral marble stairway lined with huge antique Chinese vases.

Close on KEK’S face; taking in her surroundings - her eyes wide-eyed in wonder.

39 EXT. NICK’S APARTMENT. NIGHT

NICK and ANGELA stand on the pavement. Closeby a moto dop DRIVER sits astride his small motor bike.

NICK
I could drive you home.

ANGELA
No, you’d want to come in and use your charm...

NICK
You don’t trust me?

ANGELA
No, its me I don’t trust.

ANGELA sits on the back of a moto dop.

NICK
Call me. (A BEAT) If you want to.

ANGELA nods, kisses him on the cheek; sits on the back of the moto dop; drives off. She waves but does not look around. She has not gone far before she gets the moto dop driver to turn back. NICK, close to the entrance to his apartment, turns, walks back into the street.

ANGELA
Back there...that guard guy. You were patting your stomach and looking at me and he was nodding and smiling and...what was all that about?

NICK
I just told him the first thing that came into my head to get him to back off.

ANGELA
Which was?

NICK
Um...I told him that I had just found out that you were pregnant and that I was very excited and asked him if he had children and...

ANGELA
Cretin.

NICK smiles sheepishly.

ANGELA
An immaculate conception!

NICK
Fuck off.

ANGELA (laughs)
OK, fucking off.

Their lock eyes for a moment before she gestures to the MOTO DOP DRIVER to drive.
NICK watches her drive off.

40 INT. HALLWAY. PALATIAL HOME. NIGHT

From behind, KEK, seen from the shoulders up, stands by ELEGANT KHMER WOMAN as she knocks on a door. No response.

The ELEGANT KHMER WOMAN knocks again, a little louder. A male voice is heard, speaking in French.

MALE VOICE OFF
S'il vous plaît venir

41 INT. BEDROOM. PALATIAL HOME. NIGHT

The door opens to reveal the ELEGANT KHMER WOMAN, holding KEK’S hand. KEK is wearing a frilly and spotlessly clean white dress. Her feet are bare.

The ELEGANT KHMER WOMAN, leans close to KEK, whispers:.

ELEGANT KHMER WOMAN (subtitled)
Smile. You must smile.

KEK tries her best to smile.

42 EXT. BAR/NIGHTCLUB DISTRICT. NIGHT

ANGELA sits on the back of the moto dop talking on her mobile phone as she makes her way along a busy street bordered, on both sides, with ‘girlie bars’, restaurants. There are more girls in high heels and mini-skirts than there are men. 

ANGELA
It’s late. I’m tired. And I’m going home. Alone. (A BEAT) on the back of a moto. (POINTED) Alone.

43 INT. BEDROOM. PALATIAL HOME. NIGHT

On the flip out screen of a video camera KEK  can be seen standing in front of the closed door. She is very frightened.

A man’s hand appears in frame, turns the camera on. The hand beckons to KEK to approach. She walks up - slowly, tentatively. The hand points to the bed, makes a patting gesture. KEK sits - her eyes wide open with fear.

TODD (voice off)
Did you read the story? “The Boys”?

44 INT. LIVING ROOM. NICK’S APARTMENT. DAY

ANGELA looks at TODD, KATIE - sitting on either side of the video camera.

ANGELA
You know I did.

KATIE
You told me....but that was...we need it for the camera...

ANGELA (smiles)
How does your camera express its needs? “Katie, you have to ask Angela if she read the story...” (A BEAT) Yes, as soon as I got home.

KATIE
And?

ANGELA
It was rough. A draft of a story about two brothers. Twins. Charles and Davy. 14 years old. Very close but...they used to joke, “As different as chalk and cheese.” They used to say that even before they knew what the expression meant. Finished each others sentences. Had their own secret language that drove their mum and dad crazy. Davy was the ‘chalk’, a little toughie...bit of a bully. Charlie was the ‘cheese’...’soft’...sensitive...’Cheesy Charlie’..not competitive like Davy but they loved each other to death.

45 INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT. DAY

ANGELA, wearing a sarong, lies on her bed reading Nick’s stapled together “The Boys” manuscript; a glass of wine on the table beside her.

ANGELA (voice over)
And there was a girl. Julie. Davy’s girlfriend. 12 years old.

As ANGELA reads, sips on her wine, the camera explores her bedroom; providing clues to her character.

ANGELA (voice over)
Charlie didn’t have a girlfriend but he loved Julie. Unrequited love. He couldn’t tell brother Davy that he loved Julie, of course. In fact he pretended he didn’t like her at all. He acted like she annoyed him...like he was just nice to her because she was Davy’s girlfriend. But what he didn’t know was that Julie secretly liked him more than Davy more than Davy...loved him...but acted cool towards him because she thought Charlie did not like her...

46 INT. LIVING ROOM. NICK’S APARTMENT. DAY

Close on the flip out screen of the video camera:

Close on ANGELA

ANGELA
Anyhow, I didn’t know at that point which brother was Nick and which one was Stair so I did  a bit of google research and...

47 INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT. DAY

ANGELA sits cross-legged on her bed - her laptop resting in her lap; a glass of wine at her side. She types for a moment; picks up her glass of wine. Close on:

Google Search Engine: Alistair Morecombe.

Several ‘results’ pop up.

ANGELA sips her wine, puts the glass down; clicks on one of the ‘results’ of her search. Close on:

A photo of Stair, in a business suit - underneath which is written: Alistair Morecombe, CEO of Morecombe Enterprises Terrestial (MET) has thrown his hat in the ring with his daring corporate raid...

ANGELA clicks on an icon; picks up her wine. Onscreen: Alistair (Stair) Morecombe is being interviewed on a breakfast TV show by the hostess - MARSHA.

MARSHA
Corporate raider?

STAIR
Corporate ‘consolidator.’ All the companies under the M-E-T umbrella were good businesses. Just badly managed.

MARSHA
And you're a good manager?

STAIR
The best?

MARSHA
If not the most modest!

STAIR
Winning and modesty are not the best of bedmates.

MARSHA
Bedmates?

STAIR
Bedmates.

MARSHA
You don't like to lose?

STAIR
I don't know. I've never lost.
(Marsh laughs.)
You have a lovely laugh, Marsha. (A BEAT) Am I going to get in trouble for saying that?

MARSHA
I will if I don't act offended.

STAIR
So I shouldn’t make any ‘bedmate’ jokes, right?

MARSHA
I think we might end this segment right here, Alistair?

STAIR
You’re blushing, Marsha.

MARSHA
Alistairs Morecombe, thank you for joining us this morning.

ALISTAIR
My pleasure, Marsha.

ANGELA smiles, shakes her head. The sound of her door being kicked open intrudes. ANGELA reacts with shock; looks at the dark figure standing in the doorway.

48 INT. NICK’S LIVING ROOM. DAY

ANGELA, in front of the video camera, looks at KATIE.

ANGELA
Scared the shit out of me!

KATIE
He didn’t have a key?

ANGELA
He had a key but he’s a drama queen. Why use the key when you can kick the door down...?

She picks up the glass of wine at her side. It is almost empty. She drinks the remainder in one slug.

ANGELA
You still filming?

KATIE
We’ll cut that out.

ANGELA laughs; a little tipsy; holds up her empty glass.

ANGELA
You want...?

TODD shakes his head. KATIE considers for a moment.

ANGELA
I won’t tell your boss.

KATIE declines the offer with a gesture. ANGELA reaches down, picks up the bottle of white wine at her side.

ANGELA
Hey, which one of you is the boss?

KATIE and TODD exchange looks; TODD looks at his notes.

TODD
Can we backtrack a little, Angela...forward track...to the ‘slave’ story and Terry Swinton’s involvement in that...

ANGELA
Sure. Backtrack...forward track...sideways...whatever. I need to charge my batteries, though.

She pours wine into her glass.

49 EXT. RURAL CAMBODIA. LATE AFTERNOON

From an elevated position, a hundred or so meters from the ground, Nick’s burnt out 4WD can be seen; alongside which ANGELA clings to STAIR. BALIN MEAS approaches.

Back on the ground, ANGELA, in STAIR’S arms, turns, looks at:

Nick’s skeleton sitting in the front seat of his 4WD; skeletal hands clutching the steering wheel. 

BALIN MEAS holds out a hand to greet STAIR.

BALIN MEAS
You are Mr Nicholas’ brother?

ANGELA, her face expressing her horror and despair, breaks free of her embrace with STAIR.

STAIR nods, shakes BALIN MEAS’ hand.

BALIN MEAS
My deepest sympathy.

STAIR nods his recognition but focuses his attention on:

The skeleton, whose hands, with no flesh attached to the bones, clutch the steering wheel. On the skeleton’s thigh bones rests the burnt remnants of a laptop computer.

As ANGELA walks back to her 4WD she looks over to:

BUN, standing outside a makeshift bamboo house on the other side of a rice paddy - a bucket in her hand. 

50 EXT. BUN’S HOME. RURAL CAMBODIA. DAY

BUN looks out across the rice paddy. Her POV:

As STAIR inspects NICK’s burnt out 4WD 50 or so meters away, ANGELA arrives back at her 4WD.

BALIN MEAS walks up to her as she opens a door; talks with her. Deeper in the background a shiny white 4WD approaches.

51 EXT. RURAL CAMBODIA. DAY

There is something about the skeletal hands on the steering wheel that puzzles STAIR. He takes out his smart phone.

BALIN MEAS walks up; watches at STAIR takes photos of:
The skeletal hands on the steering wheel.

Close on STAIR positioning himself to take another photo.

BALIN MEAS (voice off)
Miss Angela says your brother carried plastic containers filled with petrol in the back of his car. (Stair nods.) This is not a good idea.

In the background ANGELA, alongside her 4WD, can be seen taking the lens cap off her camera.

Close on ANGELA, her eyes focused on the approaching 4WD for a moment before she starts to circle Nick’s burnt out 4WD taking photos. One includes BUN, in the background, feeding her pigs. Click. Freeze frame.

The white 4WD with 'United States of America Embassy' decals on it, pulls up alongside STAIR and BALIN MEAS.

CAMPBELL NEWTON steps out of the 4WD. He signals his ‘hello’ to ANGELA with a gesture of sympathy. She acknowledges CAMPBELL but is preoccupied now with taking photos. 

CAMPBELL
Alistair? (Stair nods) Campbell Newton. From the US Embassy.

He holds out his hand. STAIR shakes it.

CAMPBELL
I am so sorry about your brother. So sorry.

STAIR
Thank you, Campbell.

CAMPBELL glimpses at the skeleton in the front seat.

CAMPBELL
Oh, my God!

CLOSEBY

As she is taking photos, ANGELA sees BUN, on the other side of the rice paddy, looking towards the burnt out 4WD. ‘Click’.

BALIN MEAS (voice off)
So, the fire started in the engine...

CLOSEBY

BALIN MEAS talks to STAIR and CAMPBELL.

BALIN MEAS
...ignited the petrol fumes in the empty tank. An explosion...
(Angela walks up.)
...ignited the petrol containers...

ANGELA
Where is Nick's translator? (A BEAT) And what about witnesses... Did anyone see what happened? Like that old lady over there...

ANGELA points to where she saw BUN. She is gone.

ANGELA
There’s an old lady...She might have...What the fuck is going on Meas?

STAIR
Hey, Angela...

ANGELA
Don’t ‘hey Angela’ me, Alistair. Fuck you. Nick never went out into the field without a translator. (A BEAT) Hardly ever.

STAIR
And?

ANGELA
There's only one body.

STAIR
So this is one of the times he didn’t.

ANGELA
We don’t know that.

STAIR
Carrying petrol in plastic containers inside your car is a fucking stupid idea...

ANGELA
Yes, but he had a lot of enemies and... 

NICK
Nick made a serious error in judgment, Angela, and...

ANGELA
And?

NICK
Shit happens!

ANGELA
Shit happens!

STAIR
Serious errors of judgment were a specialty of Nick’s. (A BEAT) Especially when it came to women.

ANGELA
Am I one of Nick’s ‘serious errors of judgment’?
(Stair shrugs. )
Fuck you, Alistair.  

ANGELA flips him a bird, spins on her heels, strides back to her car. CAMPBELL hesitates a moment then rushes after her.

BALIN MEAS
She is grieving. You must be patient.

STAIR nods, watches as CAMPBELL tries to calm ANGELA down.

A LITTLE LATER

As the AMBULANCE DRIVER and his ASSISTANT prepare to lift the skeletal remains from the 4WD onto a trolley, BALIN MEAS hands his card through the window of the Embassy 4WD to STAIR, in the passenger seat; CAMPBELL in the driver’s seat.

STAIR
When can I...get...(my brother?)

BALIN MEAS
Tomorrow, I think. A little paper work and...

CAMPBELL
I will organize everything, Alistair. 

BALIN MEAS
Travel well, my friend. And safely.

STAIR
Thank you, Balin Meas.

BALIN MEAS
Meas. Meas is my given name, Balin my surname.

STAIR nods. BALIN MEAS places his hand on STAIR’S upper arm.

BALIN MEAS
Good luck to you. I will call you if...

STAIR nods.

CAMPBELL drives off. BALIN MEAS turns, walks back to where the AMBULANCE DRIVER and his ASSISTANT are lifting the skeletal remains from the 4WD. BALIN MEAS sees something:

In the remnants of the pocket, where Nick’s trousers came into contact with the seat, something red has not been totally incinerated. BALIN MEAS reaches down and:

Lifts from the pocket the melted remnants of a red mobile phone - one small part of which has not been burnt black.

52 INT. US EMBASSY 4WD. DAY

CAMPBELL drives. STAIR is trying to make a phone call but having no luck at all. Beside him, on the seat, the burnt remnants of Nick’s laptop computer.

CAMPBELL
We’ll have reception in about 50 ks. (A BEAT) I liked your brother.

STAIR nods, gives CAMPBELL no encouragement at all.

CAMPBELL
He made me laugh.

CAMPBELL ploughs on, regardless of STAIR’S clear lack of interest in having this conversation.

CAMPBELL
And made our lives at the Embassy a nightmare...’Relentless’ is the word I’d use. Incessant questions, requests... demands... for interviews. Criticisms of foreign policy. (A BEAT) We couldn’t do anything right.

STAIR nods, tries again to make a call. No luck. He changes to ‘photo’ mode, glances briefly at a photo of:

Nick’s skeletal hands on the steering wheel.

STAIR looks at the screen of his mobile for a long moment; looks up to see a logging truck ahead - piled high with logs.

CAMPBELL
There's not much virgin forest left. As Nick kept reminding us.
STAIR nods, glances briefly at the logging truck as they overtake it, then back at the screen of his phone.

53 INT. HOTEL LOBBY. DUSK

STAIR, his one bag at his side, hands the CONCIERGE his credit card; looks out into busy street.

STAIR
One night. Maybe two.

54 INT. HOTEL ROOM. DUSK

STAIR pours the contents of a mini-bar whisky onto some ice in a glass; speaks loudly.

STAIR
They’re just calling my bluff.

He turns, walks back with his drink to where his iPad is propped up on the table bedside the bed. MIRIAM’S worried face appears onscreen:

MIRIAM (skype)
Yes, but...

STAIR
Tell them to hold off for twenty four hours. Thirty six. (A BEAT)

MIRIAM nods dutifully; not in agreement.

MIRIAM (skype)
And the interest on the bank loan?

STAIR thinks, scratches his head.

MIRIAM (skype)
How are we going to come up with $10,000 in two days?

STAIR
I’ll think of something.

MIRIAM (skype)
OK.

STAIR
The fat lady hasn’t sung yet.

MIRIAM (skype)
I think she has, Stair.  If you pull out now, cut your losses...

STAIR shakes his head, holds up his hands: “No way”

MIRIAM nods, raises her eyebrows.

A LITTLE LATER

STAIR sits on the bed; iPad flipped open in front of him. He unscrews the cap of another mini-bar whisky as he talks on skype with:

GRACE, 8, and TINA, 10, sitting on TILDA’S lap.

GRACE (skype)
When will uncle Nick come back to Stralia?

STAIR
He won’t be coming back, sweetheart.

GRACE (skype)
Why?

STAIR
Because when you die...

TINA turns to ROSIE.

TINA (skype)
You go to stay with God

GRACE (skype)
For how long?

TINA (skype)
I don’t know. How long, daddy?

STAIR
Forever.

GRACE (skype)
How long is forever?

TILDA can no longer hold back her tears. She sobs.

STAIR
Now you be good girls, OK. Take care of mum.

ROSIE turns, hugs TILDA tightly. TINA does likewise. Tears stream down TILDA’S cheeks. She holds her daughters tight.

STAIR
Call you a bit later, OK?

TILDA nods.

55 EXT. HOTEL. NIGHT

STAIR walks from the front entrance of his hotel towards a taxi waiting for him in the street. VANNY, on the other side of the road makes a bee-line for him; beams her best smile.

VANNY
You buy my book?

STAIR ignores her; waves to a taxi driver parked closeby.

56 INT. TAXI. NIGHT

As the taxi makes its way through Phnom Penh STAIR looks at the photo on his phone of:

The skeletal hands clutching the steering wheel.

Something about the photo puzzles him.

57 EXT. NICK’S APARTMENT. NIGHT

STAIR inserts a key into the front door to Nick’s apartment.

58 INT. LIVING ROOM. NICK’S APARTMENT. NIGHT

STAIR walks into Nick’s cluttered, dimly lit, Living Room.

He explores the room, looking at note-books on the desk, notes written on scraps of paper, magazines, newspapers with sections highlighted, the remnants of late night take-aways.

His attention is caught by a book resting on the desk in front of the ‘Nest of Vipers’ montage:

HEART OF DARKNESS, by Joseph Conrad.

He picks it up, flicks through the book, worn from many readings. Some passages have been highlighted.

Still holding the book he looks at Nick’s Nest of Vipers montage for a moment, leaning close to look at a photo with Wing Chou’s face circled - a dart piercing one of his eyes.

STAIR walks towards the kitchen area; opens the refrigerator, takes out a bottle of wine; empties it into a glass.

As he walks back towards the notice board the wooden floorboards creak.

ANGELA (voice off)
Nick?

STAIR
No. Stair.

59 INT. NICK’S BEDROOM. DUSK

ANGELA, lying on the bed, her body partially covered with a sarong, only half awake, is disoriented for a moment before the reality of where she is and what has happened sinks in. 

She sits up, makes no attempt to cover herself. STAIR appears in the doorway, sees that she is naked; turns away.

60 NICK’S APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM. DUSK

ANGELA walks into the room, adjusting her sarong. STAIR  stands in front of Nick’s notice board, a copy of HEART OF DARKNESS in one hand; a glass of wine in the other.

ANGELA 
Nick didn’t call you a cunt.

STAIR
I’ve been called worse.

ANGELA
What’s worse than ‘cunt’?

STAIR
No cunt. (A BEAT) Sorry, that was below the belt.

ANGELA smiles, walks up, takes the glass of wine from STAIR’S hand; takes a huge gulp; looks down at the book in his hands.

ANGELA
He loves that book.

STAIR places it back on the table. ANGELA drains his glass.

ANGELA
Sorry. I...

She walks to the refrigerator, opens it.

ANGELA
Shit! Hang on, I think I’ve got a bottle of Port here somewhere. 

ANGELA moves to the kitchen area, searches cupboards as STAIR sifts amongst the clutter on Nick’s desk, as if looking for something. In the background ANGELA holds up a bottle:

ANGELA
Voila. Not my cup of tea but...

She rejoins STAIR - bottle of Port and two glasses in hand.

ANGELA
Any port in a storm.

ANGELA pours two glasses of Port, hands one to STAIR.

ANGELA
To Nick.

She holds up her glass. STAIR holds up his, clink’s ANGELA’S.

STAIR
To Nick.

Tears well in ANGELA’S eyes. STAIR turns, looks at the Nest of Vipers montage, indicates the circled photo of Wing Chou - his eye pierced with a dart.

ANGELA
A suspect.

STAIR nods perfunctorily; clearly not interested in this topic of conversation.

STAIR
There’s a few things dad wants... photos and...I don’t know...

ANGELA NODS. A pinging sound announces the arrival of a text message on Stair’s smart phone.

STAIR looks at his mobile; tries to mask his shock. ANGELA tries to ‘read’ him. STAIR stares back at her for a moment; clearly distressed by the text message.

ANGELA
Why did you and Nick hate each other?

STAIR
Did Nick say he hated me?

ANGELA shakes her head.

STAIR
So, he didn’t say I was a cunt and he didn’t say he hated me!

ANGELA
I’m joining the dots. I think what he hated was that...

STAIR raises his hand to discourage further questioning. 

ANGELA
You guys have at least one thing in common. Had.

She mimics his ”I don’t want to talk about it” gesture.

ANGELA
I’m sorry for what happened back...(there.)

STAIR smiles, holds up his hand - parodying himself. ANGELA laughs, holds up her hand, mimics Stair’s gesture. He smiles.

STAIR
I didn’t really mean what I said about Nick’s...you know...judgment when it came to women.

ANGELA
So, we are both liars!
(Stair nods.)
There are a lot of people who will be happy Nick is dead. (A BEAT) And he would not have gone wherever he was going without an interpreter.

STAIR
Where was he going?

ANGELA
He wouldn’t tell me.

STAIR
Why?

ANGELA
I don’t know. He told me most things but there were some things... And this was the only time I saw him scared. I mean, really scared.

She looks at STAIR, waiting for some kind of response.

ANGELA
You’re not...curious?

STAIR
My curiosity is not going to bring Nick back. (A BEAT) Some dots are best left unjoined.

ANGELA
But you’re a lawyer. I would have thought...

STAIR
Was! (A BEAT) Joining dots drove me crazy.

ANGELA takes another slug of her port, disappears into her own memories, worries, questions. STAIR looks at her. She looks back at him, tears in her eyes.

ANGELA
Yes, you can drive yourself crazy trying to join dots...but...

STAIR
And you can drive yourself even crazier ending sentences with ‘but, dot, dot, dot’

ANGELA smiles through her tears.

ANGELA
You and Nick are more alike than you think.

STAIR
Do you realize how often you leap to conclusions about what I think.

ANGELA
If you play your cards close to your chest, leaping to conclusions, joining dots is all I can do, if...

STAIR
If?

ANGELA takes another slug of port.

ANGELA
If I want to understand...

STAIR
What?

ANGELA
You.

STAIR
Is that important? Understanding me?

ANGELA
You’re Nick’s brother.

STAIR
Did you understand him?

ANGELA laughs, shakes her head.

ANGELA
I thought I did, but...there I go again. But, but, but...I don’t understand myself so why the fuck should I...presume to be able to understand Nick...or anyone else?

STAIR looks at her, intrigued. Their eyes meet for a moment.

ANGELA
You mind if I asked you a personal question...about you and Nick?

STAIR
If I did mind, would you ask it anyway?

ANGELA (laughs)
Just like your brother. Probably, after another glass of Port.

STAIR
If its the one I think you want to ask, the answer is yes.

ANGELA
Yes, I can ask it?

STAIR
No, yes I would mind. Do mind. Let sleeping dogs lie.

They look at each other for a long moment.  ANGELA drains her glass, stands, walks to Nick’s desk, picks up the photo of young Nick and young Stair, tennis racquets in hand.

STAIR picks up his mobile, starts to write a text message.

ANGELA walks back to him, holding the photo of Stair and Nick, as boys. She hands it to STAIR. He looks at the photo, though cracked glass, of:

Nick, 13, and Stair, 14, each with an arm around the other’s shoulder and each carrying a tennis racket.

STAIR looks at it for a moment, then at ANGELA.

ANGELA
It looks like you were close. (A BEAT) Once upon a time? But then...? What? Twenty years ago. Twenty five? Something happened? Right?(A BEAT) Nick wouldn’t tell me but he wrote this story...’The Boys’...and, hey, I know I’m joining dots again but...it drives me crazy not knowing. And it, whatever ‘it’ was, drove Nick crazy too, even if he tried hard to pretend he didn’t give a fuck, just like you pretend you don’t give a fuck that your brother is dead. Maybe murdered. I think murdered, but...but, but, but...

ANGELA notices that STAIR’S hands are shaking.

ANGELA
You know how that crack got to be there?

STAIR makes a gesture with his shaking hand: stop. 

ANGELA
One night, I asked him about another photo I had seen...

STAIR
Stop.

ANGELA
It was a photo he didn’t want me to see. Hidden...

STAIR
For fuck’s sake, Angela, stop. Please.

ANGELA nods, takes another slug of Port. STAIR’S whole body is shaking now. He tries to hide it and is embarrassed that she is seeing him in this state.

ANGELA takes one of his hands in her own. Their eyes meet for a long moment.

STAIR tries to extricate his hand from ANGELA’S but she won’t let go of it.

A loud ‘ping’ emanates from STAIR’S mobile phone.

ANGELA
Ignore it.

STAIR ignores it, pulls his hand free of ANGELA’S. He holds his hands tightly together, trying to stop them shaking.

His mobile ‘pings’ again. He picks it up, reads the text message; tries his best to hide his shock and distress.

ANGELA
Bad news?

STAIR
Not good news.

ANGELA
Worse than your brother being murdered?

STAIR ignores her, starts to write a text message.

ANGELA
Will you please turn that fucking thing off?

STAIR ignores her, continues writing his text message. ANGELA, furious, grabs the bottle of Port, fills her glass, glares at STAIR.

ANGELA
Hey, my brother just died. Maybe it was an accident, maybe he was murdered but I don’t give a shit because, hey, I’m a bigshot fucking corporate lawyer and I’ve got this big fucking deal happening and I’m going to make fucking megabucks if I play my cards right and, hey, I hated my brother anyway, so...shit happens...

STAIR
You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.

ANGELA
Enlighten me.

STAIR
Why the fuck would I want to do that?

ANGELA grabs his mobile phone, runs to the other side of a couch, takes a slug of Port.

STAIR stands stock still, fists clenched but willing himself to remain calm.

ANGELA reads his text message:

ANGELA
“Tell them whatever you need to tell them to keep them calm for the next 24 hours.”

She laughs, shakes her head, takes another slug of Port.

ANGELA
“Tell them whatever you need?” Lie, you mean? This is what you need to get back to Honolulu for, isn’t it? A deal that can only happen if you lie? How much money are you going to make, Alistair?

STAIR is ready to explode but holding it in. Just!

ANGELA
Alistair? Stair? No wonder Nick hated you. You’re a shallow, venal...

STAIR moves to walk around the couch, his hand held out.

STAIR
Give it to me.

ANGELA shakes her head, drains the rest of her Port, throws the glass at the wall. It smashes.

As they circle around the couch, ANGELA opens Stair’s photos folder, flicks through them manically to a wide shot of:

The skeleton in the driver’s seat.

ANGELA freezes; in shock. Her hands begin to shake. She glares at STAIR, madness in her eyes.

ANGELA
Why?

STAIR
Give it to me.

She flicks through to:

A closer shot of the skeleton.

ANGELA
Why did you take these?

The skeletal hands holding the steering wheel.

ANGELA
What kind of monster are you? Ghoul! Vampire! How dare you!

STAIR leaps over the couch, tries to wrestle the mobile from her. She screams like a banchee; knees him hard in the groin.

STAIR doubles over in pain for a moment, recovers, chases her, wrestles her to the ground, pins her down, kneeling astride her, his hands holding her wrists firmly against the floor; their heads close together.

They stare into each others eyes - both breathing deeply, exhausted by their struggle.

STAIR has complete control now but she still has his mobile phone clutched in her tightly held fist. ANGELA’S sarong is awry, her naked body partially exposed.

ANGELA stops struggling; relaxes. STAIR releases her hands. She holds his mobile out for him. As he reaches to takes it she slaps him hard across the face. STAIR slaps her back. Hard. The mobile phone flies across the floor.

ANGELA tries to slap STAIR again. He catches her wrist in mid-flight and pins her to the ground again.

She glares at him, hate in her eyes. The stare at each other for along moment.

ANGELA raises her head, mouth open, as if wanting to kiss STAIR. He moves his lips close to hers. Suddenly, ANGELA jerks her head upwards. She bites him on the lip. STAIR pulls his head back: “ouch”.

FRANCOISE (voice off)
What zee fuck!

FRANCOISE stands in the doorway, eyes flaring; grocery bags in hand. A baguette protrudes. She sees:

STAIR, lip bleeding, kneeling astride ANGELA, arms pinned; her sarong dislodged, partially revealing her naked body.

FRANCOISE delivers a martial artist’s kick aimed at STAIR’S kidney. He grabs her ankle, pulls her leg from under her. She falls to the ground. Food flies everywhere.

ANGELA laughs at FRANCOISE, sprawled on the floor.

FRANCOISE
Vas te faire encule.

STAIR
Don’t speak French, sweetheart.

FRANCOISE
Fuck you.

STAIR licks the blood from his lip; locks eyes with ANGELA.

In a wide shot, framed by the open front door, we see STAIR sitting astride a semi-naked ANGELA and FRANCOISE sprawled on the floor amidst strewn groceries, gesticulating to ANGELA.

FRANCOISE
How can you let zee man treat you zis way?

A figure steps into frame in the foreground, seen from behind, holding a Glock pistol.


End of Episode Two

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