A Real Cliffhanger

Tuesday, July 6, 1993

SCENE: Darkness. Outside of the CLIFF HOUSE, at ROGER’S car. ROGER pushes ED up against the car. ED turns around. His last nerve has finally snapped.

ROGER: Okay! Don’t make a sound!

ED: Roger, are you out of your mind!

ROGER: Just listen to me for a second.

ED: What are you doing? Why are you attacking me?!

ROGER [trying to calm ED]: Okay, there’s a reason . . .

ED [sarcastic]: Oh, of course there’s a reason! You just never know when to quit, do you? Why didn’t I just come here? Why did I wait to talk to Holly?! I should have KNOWN!

ROGER: Wait, wait, wait! Did you talk to Holly? When?

ED: You’re gonna play dumb with me now? I love it when you do that. You were standing in the room when I talked to her.

ROGER: Why do say that?

ED [outraged]: Do you think you’re the only person who knows Holly well enough to know when she is not herself?

ROGER [intent on getting information]: What did she say?

ED: She didn’t say anything. She was just talking in circles. She didn’t make any sense. And the reason she wasn’t making any sense is because she was afraid and the only person who frightens her is you.

ROGER: It wasn’t me!

ED: Heaven help you, Roger, if anything is wrong in that house!

ED tries to head towards the house, and calls out “Holly!” but ROGER punches him in the stomach to shut him up.

ROGER: Shut up and listen to me! There is someone else in that house with them!

CUT to CLIFF HOUSE. A leering DAVIS has the gun two inches from HOLLY’S chin. HOLLY stares ahead of her, refusing to look at him.

DAVIS: You know, Roger and I have had our differences, but I’ve always admired his taste.

HOLLY: Is that so?

DAVIS: Yeah, yeah. Roger never accepts anything but the best in art, in real estate, music, and ooh, let’s see, what else?

DAVIS touches her with the gun, and then touches her shoulder.

HOLLY: Maybe he should have settled here and there—might have been happier.

DAVIS: Oh, I don’t know about that. I think I could be happy with what he has. I plan to find out, anyway. I’ve been in prison a long time. Roger owes me for that. [With the gun to HOLLY’S face] And he’s gonna pay me back, by my taking a piece of everything he has in payment.

DAVIS’S lips just touch HOLLY’S face.

HOLLY [In an undertone, turning away from him]: No!

HOLLY: I don’t know what you’re talking about. Roger doesn’t feel anything for me. We were divorced a long time ago. All I ever did was make him miserable.

DAVIS: He hasn’t even let you out of his sight—not even for a weekend.

HOLLY: And what does it get him? A cold night in a car.

DAVIS: Yeah, but he keeps coming back for more. Now, why is that?

HOLLY: We’ve got a daughter together. That’s what he came to talk about.

DAVIS: Oh, I don’t think so. I think you’re just being modest.

HOLLY: Look. C’mon. I’m really exhausted. Let me get some sleep.

DAVIS [laughing]: You’ve got fire—and you’re like ice.

HOLLY: Don’t you want to get some rest, too? Tomorrow’s your big day--your big collection day, right?

DAVIS [grasping her wrist]: No! You see, I’m not put off by your coldness. In fact, it turns me on.

HOLLY: Well, you turn me off!

DAVIS: Oh, I see. You wanna be friends first. [Pulling the gun on her] Well, see I don’t want to be friends.

HOLLY: There’s a little girl upstairs.

DAVIS: Oh, I won’t wake her. I won’t make a sound. And I don’t think you want to either, because if she comes down and sees —well, it’s gonna be on your head, isn’t it?

CUT back outside.

ROGER: I set off some fireworks for Holly and Michelle; Holly and I talked for a while. I came down here to get some sleep. I woke up. I was cold. I turned on the car to get the heater going; the car wouldn’t start. The engine’s obviously been tampered with.

ED: And that’s when you went crawling down to the cabin to see if Holly would take you in.

ROGER: I went down for a blanket. She wouldn’t even open the door.

ED [laughs mockingly]: And that’s what you find so mysterious?

ROGER: Would you shut up and listen to me! As I was turning to leave, I saw the deck light start flashing, and what they flashed out was “S.O.S.”

ED: How long ago was this?

ROGER: Just before you got here. I never was in that house. I didn’t even know they had a phone. There is someone else in there.

ED [instinctively moving towards CLIFF HOUSE]: Oh, Michelle!

ROGER [grabbing ED]: Listen, we’ve got to figure out some sort of a plan.

ED: Roger, my daughter!

ROGER: Ssh! I know. Listen, I didn’t hear her while I was talking with Holly. She’s probably asleep. With any luck, this guy doesn’t even know she’s there.

ED: Well, tell me who is it, who is it? Look, we’ve got to think. No one is going to follow Holly up here. I mean, it doesn’t make any sense. So, who would follow you? Who?

ROGER: Nobody!

ED: Who?

ROGER: Wait a minute!

ED: What?

ROGER: Davis!

ED: What? You’re talking about your old lawyer?

ROGER: Yeah. I thought the police had him by now.

ED: Had him for what?

ROGER: He pulled a gun on me at Spaulding.

ED: You mean he’s got a gun in there now?

ROGER: Well, he could have followed me here, and yeah, if he’s on the run he’s desperate enough to pull something like this. Listen, get in your car right now and go for the police.

ED: No!

ROGER: Listen, I’ll take care of things here.

ED [yelling]: Roger, my daughter’s in that house!

ROGER: Sssh!

ED: I’m not leaving!

ROGER and ED quietly make their way down the steps leading to the CLIFF HOUSE patio.

ROGER: There’s two more sliding glass doors around the corner. That’s the deck light she signaled me with.

ED: Is there any other way to get in? How about the windows?

ROGER: No. I’ve tried them already.

ED: We can’t just break in! Not without knowing where he is!

ROGER: That’s right! To protect Holly and Michelle, we’re gonna have to somehow lure him outside and jump him—

ED: Jump him from where? From the eave? [Looking up at the eave]

ROGER: That’s right! Now, listen. As soon as I get into position, you knock on the door.

ED: No. That’s not gonna work.

ROGER: Why not?!

ED: Listen to me. Now, whoever is in there, Davis, or whoever the hell it is, he knows you’re here. He’s seen you, right? So he’s expecting you. He’s not gonna freak out if he sees you. I mean, if he sees me—I’ve gotta be the one to go up there!

ROGER: You’re a doctor! This is not your field of expertise!

ED: Look, we only have one shot at this! You’re wasting time, Roger!

ED heads back up the steps, but ROGER grabs him for one last caution.

ROGER: What the hell are you doing? Don’t be a damn fool. It’s slippery as hell up there!

ED: I’ll be careful.

ROGER: Now, all right, listen. Before you go up there, there’s something you ought to look at.

ED: I don’t need to look at anything!

ROGER forces ED to look down into the ravine.

ROGER: Shut up! This deck is smaller than it looks. If you overshoot your jump, there’s where you end up!

Inside CLIFF HOUSE . . .

DAVIS forces HOLLY down on the bed. He puts the gun down on the bed on the other side of him.

HOLLY: You said you wouldn’t hurt me.

DAVIS: I won’t, if you don’t make me.

HOLLY: Roger’s never gonna stand for this. You’re gonna lose all your money!

DAVIS [unbuttoning her blouse]: Yeah, he’s a very jealous man. He’d probably like to kill both of us. Don’t worry. I won’t say anything if you don’t.

HOLLY turns DAVIS over, and reaches for the gun. He takes it from her:

DAVIS: I didn’t know you could reach that!

HOLLY: You’ll have to keep the gun on me, you creep!

DAVIS: Yeah! That’s just what I’m going to have to do!

MICHELLE opens the door and looks in, stunned to see a dark-coated man on top of her friend.

MICHELLE: Who are you!?

DAVIS: Hold it kid! Leave us alone!

MICHELLE: You don’t have to explain. I understand these things, Holly—

HOLLY [grappling with DAVIS]: No!

In pushing away from DAVIS, HOLLY is thrown back by her own force against one of the sliding door curtains. It comes down, revealing a shocked ROGER.

ROGER: Jon, what the hell are you doing here?! What’s going on?!

DAVIS [to HOLLY and MICHELLE]: Get over here where I can see you! [to ROGER] C’mon. What are you up to?

HOLLY and MICHELLE go to him. He holds the gun on ROGER.

ROGER: Me! What about you?

DAVIS: Answer me! What are you doing, sneaking around out there?

ROGER: Well . . . you know.

DAVIS: No, I don’t. Tell me.

ROGER: Well, there’s a storm out there. I thought I’d get a little shelter, if you know what I mean.

DAVIS looks at HOLLY for a second.

DAVIS: Yeah, yeah. I sure do.

ROGER: Okay, it’s your turn! What are you doing here?! What’s with the gun?!

DAVIS: Payday!

ROGER: What?

DAVIS: You and I are going to Springfield in the morning and you’re going to hand over all the money you owe me with interest, or she gets hurt. [He puts the gun back on HOLLY.]

ROGER: Oh.

DAVIS [sarcastic]: “Oh!” No arguments, no excuses, no “Come back later, Davis.” Okay, okay, come on inside. Make yourself comfortable. Holly’ll make us some coffee . . .

ROGER: I’ve got a better idea!

DAVIS: I don’t think so!

ROGER: Look, we’ll get in the car and head for Springfield right now, and be there when the banks are open. That way, you can get a head start on wherever you’re going next. Does that make sense?

DAVIS: Maybe. Why are you being so helpful?

ROGER: Not for your sake, that’s for sure, but for theirs. I want this over with as soon as possible.

DAVIS: Yeah, well this could have been over weeks ago, you remember? [Pause. ROGER looks at HOLLY] Okay, let’s go.

HOLLY: Michelle, you stay here. Ed’s gonna come for you.

DAVIS: Forget it! She comes along!

HOLLY: She’s a child! Leave her alone!

DAVIS: Go!

DAVIS pushes HOLLY out the door. She and MICHELLE turn and face him as he comes out of CLIFF HOUSE. In a split second, MICHELLE looks up and sees her father on the eave. MICHELLE’S eyes widen, but ED puts his finger to his lips and she not only makes no sound, but wisely looks away from him.

ED jumps. The distraction allows ROGER to punch DAVIS and he falls over the railing with a scream. For a second, ROGER is transfixed at the sight and sound of it. Behind him, HOLLY and MICHELLE run to another part of the deck: ED is hanging over the side!!!

Next:
The End of the World