Episode #38 Project - SC1054 due SOUTH "THE DUEL" Written by Seth Freeman PUBLISHED DRAFT March 30, 1996 REVISED PINK - April 10, 1996 REVISED BLUE - April 13, 1996 REVISED GREEN - April 15, 1996
PROLOGUE FADE IN: EXT. GOVERNMENT BUILDING - DAY (ONE) Fraser and Ray walk up the steps. RAY: This won't take long. The guy'll tell the parole board he wants out. The arresting officer -- that's me -- will tell them he's an animal. They stick him back in for another year. FRASER: If it's a foregone conclusion, why go through the exercise? RAY: Because this is a democracy. They enter. INT. GOVERNMENT BUILDING CORRIDOR - DAY Fraser and Ray stop by the guard desk. FRASER: So what is making you so edgy today, Ray? RAY: What are you talking about, edgy? That's me. I've always got edge. FRASER: You don't always check a pack of raisinettes instead of your gun. Ray sees that he has absently pulled a package of candy out of his pocket and set it in front of the guard. Embarrassed he makes a quick change as Fraser observes his friend. A guard falls into step next to them and escorts them down what seems like an endless and imposing corridor. The sense of all the unseen men imprisoned here in this intimidating structure is sobering. The three men walk in silence. INT. PAROLE HEARING ROOM - DAY Fraser and Ray are settling into seats. RAY: This is one bad guy. FRASER: I'm sure he is. RAY: You see, you can tell too. With your sense of people, your ability to pick up subtle behavioral clues, you're able to tell he's bad news just by looking at him. FRASER: He actually looks quite presentable. RAY: Then how do you know he's a bad guy? FRASER: Because you said so, Ray. RAY: That's it? FRASER: That's enough for me. RAY: (disappointed) Oh. Again Fraser has to take a close look at Ray. He is acting so squirrely today. ANGLE - PAROLEE'S TABLE The man who sits there appears in fact presentable by any standard. Clean cut, trim, in a modest, conservative suit. CHARLES CARVER looks likeably earnest and attentive to the proceedings. His attorney, MARTIN VAN DYKE, is addressing the parole board. VAN DYKE (O.S.): While incarcerated Mr. Carver earned a PhD in Chemistry and a masters in Mechanical Engineers from Northwestern University. WIDEN To include Van Dyke, a burly, engaging defense lawyer. VAN DYKE (CONT'D): He developed a computer program for teaching science to Elementary students which is used in twenty-four schools in the Chicago area. He also reorganized the prison library. He gets the highest marks in every evaluation as a well-behaved, model prisoner. If the word rehabilitation doesn't apply to my client, we should remove it from the dictionary. CUT TO: INT. PAROLE HEARING ROOM - DAY Ray testifying a short while later. RAY: Charles Carver is a vicious predator who should not be put back on the street. PAROLE OFFICER: "Predator"? His record shows only one arrest and conviction, for arson. RAY: He lived with a series of women -- VAN DYKE: Hardly a crime. RAY One of whom is missing, one dead, even though we never nailed this turkey -- VAN DYKE (quickly): Detective Vecchio is out of line. My client has never been accused, let alone arrested, for any other crime. MADELINE CARNES, assistant states attorney, stands. She is young, bright, comely. MADELINE: Detective Vecchio, as the arresting officer, spent time with the prisoner -- VAN DYKE: And produced no further charges. Are we going to start incarcerating people now on the basis of groundless allegations? INT. PAROLE HARING ROOM - DAY Carver speaking. CARVER: I would like the chance to show Detective Vecchio that I have learned a great deal while in prison. That he greatly underestimates . . . this turkey. He smiles at Ray. Ray turns to Fraser. RAY: You see what I mean? Fraser tries to nod supportively. He takes in the whole scene. He shares a look with Madeline Carnes, who is frustrated with Ray. CLOSE - CARVER'S FILE A stamp comes down hard on the file. When it lifts up, we read the words: PAROLE GRANTED. INT. APARTMENT BATHROOM/SHOWER - DAY (TWO) Steamy warm. Wearing only a towel wrapped around her, Madeline Carnes adjusts the water in the shower. The towel drops off. She steps in the shower, closing her eyes as she gets her hair wet. She feels something odd on her shoulder, clammy skin, clinging. She turns, blinking water out of her eyes, and sees -- and we see -- the pink fleshy extremity -- She screams, then gets a better look. The "hand" is a turkey wing, attached to a large, quickly thawing, frozen turkey. She SCREAMS louder. FADE OUT. END OF PROLOGUE
ACT ONE FADE IN EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET - DAY Fraser and Ray approach an address. FRASER: Thanks for running me by here. Apparently there was a special request that someone from the Canadian consulate pay a visit. RAY: (checking the place out) To a building which hasn't been built yet. FRASER: That wasn't mentioned, no. RAY: Who made the request? FRASER: I don't know. There appears to have been some kind of miscommunication. Ray's cell phone rings. RAY: Vecchio . . . Right on it. (closes phone) I gotta call. Just down the street. INT. MADELINE'S APARTMENT - DAY Madeline sits in a robe, her hair wet. A neighbor, a slightly older woman, has given her a mug of tea which she clutches with both hands. Ray and Fraser enter. RAY: Hey, Maddy, what's going on? We got called to this address on a six thirty four point two. Madeline points toward the bathroom. Ray heads toward it. Fraser follows past Madeline. MADELINE: (recognizing him from the trial) Hi. FRASER: Hello. Excuse us. (To Ray) A 634.2 would be ... RAY: (looking in bathroom, back at Madeline) Turkey in the shower? She nods. MADELINE: I didn't see it. It seemed to almost grab me. And I kind of freaked. RAY: Of course. Is there anybody in your life who is into practical jokes? MADELINE: No. RAY: Any weirdos you've run across, strange guys with a crush on you? MADELINE: With the hours I work, it's pretty much no guys. Another look at Fraser. Ray slides the turkey out on a towel. RAY: Benny, I guess you'll want to lick it. FRASER: Why, Ray? RAY: To see where it came from. FRASER: It quite obviously came from the supermarket, Ray. It's a standard frozen turkey. Pop-up. RAY: I doubt we'll get prints off it. FRASER: Unlikely. Fraser bends down, takes a penlight from his pouch. He holds the tip of the turkey leg, shines the light up the turkey. Ray inspects the windows. RAY: No obvious signs of forced entry. We'll get a team in here to go over this place. FRASER: (peering up turkey) I get sent to this area on a bogus call. Coincidentally, you catch a call to a nearby apartment, which coincidentally belongs to the Assistant State's Attorney at a parole hearing where, coincidentally, you called the prisoner a turkey. RAY: I'm ahead of you, Benny. I knew it was Carver as soon as I saw the bird. FRASER: (finding something) Ah. MADELINE: Does this mean we can nail him now? RAY: For assault with poultry? FRASER: Of course, this does violate all the new federal guidelines for handling uncooked fowl. Fraser extracts the paper giblet package, balances it in his hand. FRASER: (CONT'D) Hmm. Heavy giblets. He opens the package. Inside is a Tonka Toy type metal metro bus. FRASER: (CONT'D) A toy bus. Rather innocuous. RAY: Nothing about this guy is innocuous. Fraser wipes the bus off, examines it. FRASER: (reads from front of bus) Line 28. RAY: The Kenwood bus. They look at each other. RAY: (CONT'D) Damn. They both start out at once. RAY: (CONT'D) (to Madeline) Don't be alone today. Fraser touches the brim of his hat toward the women. FRASER: Good morning. They exit quickly. EXT. CHICAGO STREETS - DAY Ray's green Buick wipes through. INT. RAY'S CAR - DAY Ray drives, gripping the wheel tightly. RAY: At first it was a young woman named Katie Banks. We found her body under a bridge. She had been living with Carver. She had bought him a car, stereo, computers with her family money. A month later he took up with a woman fifteen years older. She ended up dead after putting him in her will. FRASER: Cause of death? RAY: Accidental. At least that's all we could ever show. The guy is cool and cruel. He gets inside their heads. FRASER: You think he somehow drove her to kill herself and made it look like an accident? RAY: Would that be possible? FRASER: I don't know. RAY: Within weeks he'd found another woman, Helen Harris. Harris was willing to talk about psychological and physical abuse. But she disappeared. FRASER: (pointing ahead) There's a -- RAY: I see it. (swerves) Then we got lucky. A building burned down that he had an interest in. I scoured the scene, found the heel of a shoe that matched a shoe that was missing a heel at Carver's townhouse. FRASER: So he slipped up. RAY: The only time. We couldn't get him for what he did to the women, but we could get him off the streets for a few years. He was furious, screaming it was a bum rap. It made him nuts that he got caught. He throws the car into a screeching turn, just getting ahead of Line 28 on the cross street. RAY: (CONT'D) Here's our bus. EXT. STREETS Ray slams the car to a stop. He and Fraser jump out, running back to the bus where it is just finishing picking up passengers at a corner. They manage to get on just before the doors close and the bus pulls away. FRASER: Kenwood? BUS DRIVER: You got it. CLOSE ON - EYES Clear, sharp. Watching the street. TILT DOWN to lips. LIPS: Nice move. TILT DOWN to hands, holding a compact, sophisticated looking control panel similar to those used to guide model airplanes. To the extent that we see the background here, we have the sense of being in the driver compartment of some kind of vehicle. The hands set dials, flip a series of switches on the box. UNDER BUS - SERIES OF CLOSE SHOTS On brake lines and other vital components. A tiny device next to the brake line explodes. The line is ripped apart in a small, specific, violent explosion. Almost immediately similar devices explode, destroying critical mechanical links. INSIDE BUS BUS DRIVER: (reacting to sound) What was that? CLOSE ON - ACCELERATOR By itself, it moves down to the floorboard. CLOSE ON - BRAKE PEDAL The driver's foot instinctively presses the pedal, but meets no resistance. The pedal goes uselessly right to the floor. WIDER The bus driver tries the hand brake, tries shutting off the ignition. No result. BUS DRIVER: (CONT'D) We're out of control. OMITTED ON BUS Passengers are starting to realize something is wrong, look out the window anxiously. RAY: No brakes? FRASER: And the accelerator's stuck. RAY: I'm going to get that bastard! INT. CAR A driver waits at a red light. Her eyes open as she watches the bus cruise past and right through the red light. THE STREET The bus careers past, unable to stop. THE BUS FRASER: Okay, you know this area. We need something soft to land in. RAY: We're in the middle of a city. The bus, the best it can, zigs and zags through traffic. People on the bus scream at the close calls, clutch the seats. FRASER: (calmly) Goose down ... marshmallows ... shaving cream ... RAY: You think somebody is going to have a pile of shaving cream piled up outside on the street somewhere? FRASER: (to driver) You have a Thomas Guide? The bus driver, knuckles white on the steering wheel, is nervously guiding the bus. He nods toward the dash. Fraser pulls out the map book, starts to flip through it. FRASER: (CONT'D) Horse manure ... Talcum powder ... (finding the grid) Let's see. E-4. RAY: Fraser, I know where we are. We're heading into serious traffic here. Then a dead end. FRASER: (looking at book) I see it. Grandin Road. CLOSE - BUS SPEEDOMETER The needle moving jerkily but steadily upward. FRASER: (CONT'D) Quiche ... dry leaves ... Ray? We're brainstorming. RAY: Uh ... saw dust ... a malted ... FRASER: You said a malted? RAY: Yeah, is there a giant malted in Chicago somewhere? FRASER: No, but there's a Great Lake. RAY: (looking out) Grandin coming up. (to driver) Go left. STREETS Next, the bus careens around the turn. Passengers scream. OMITTED INT. BUS -- DAY Fraser, Ray, the driver, passengers all lean. As the bus pulls out of the turn, Fraser pats the driver on the back. FRASER: Well done, sir. BUS DRIVER: (can barely talk) What do we do when we get to the lake? FRASER: Swim? EXT. BEACHFRONT The bus barrels straight across, settles into the water and comes to rest. INT. BUS -- DAY Ray runs up through the bus to the back, shoves the back door open with the emergency handle. RAY: All right, one at a time. Don't panic. He helps a passenger through, another starts through, and Ray looks up and recognizes another of the passengers. RAY (CONT'D): Laurie! LAURIE: Ray. RAY: Quick, get out. LAURIE: No, others first. As Ray and Laurie help the next passenger, Fraser and the bus driver work their way back. RAY: Hey, Benny. This is Laurie Zaylor. My first partner. (To her) I haven't seen you since you quit the force. LAURIE: I've stayed away from all the old stuff. The point was a calmer life-style -- (with irony at the current situation) Less excitement. Fraser helps an old lady make her way to the back, hands her off to Ray, who helps her through the door. FRASER: (to Laurie) You take this bus often? LAURIE: Every day. FRASER: At this same time? LAURIE: Yes. Fraser and Ray exchange looks: this is no coincidence. SOUND OF CELL PHONE RINGING The passengers stop moving to safety, check their phones. Ray realizes it is his. The passengers resume being rescued. RAY: (into phone) Vecchio. PHONE VOICE (O.S.): How did you do, Detective? Did you figure out about the lake? Or is the bus a smoking heap of junk right now? RAY: You termite! PHONE VOICE (O.S.): You always were all wet. (Chuckles) Did you figure it out by yourself? Or did you have help? RAY: Listen, Carver -- PHONE VOICE (O.S.): Carver? Carver? Is that someone you know? Someone you know well? Or just someone you thought you knew. RAY: I know you. And you have blown it this time. PHONE VOICE (O.S.): Blown it? No Detective. Blowing it is for next time. The caller clicks off. END OF ACT ONE
ACT TWO FADE IN: EXT. DUPLEX/TOWNHOUSE - DAY Ray is fuming as he and Fraser walk up the steps. FRASER: I'm not saying I won't accompany you, Ray. RAY: Fine. FRASER: But I am suggesting restraint rather than acting out of pure emotion -- RAY: If I were acting out of emotion, I would just kill the guy, so anything you see short of that is a model of restraint. FRASER: I'll remember that. They enter the building. INT. DUPLEX/TOWNHOUSE - DAY Fraser and Ray reach an apartment, and Ray rings the bell. The door is answered by Charles Carver, wearing neatly pressed slacks and a cardigan. CARVER: Detective Vecchio. Well -- Ray pushes Carver hard. He stumbles back into the room. RAY: (following him in) Violating your parole within hours of being out, how smart is that? CARVER: Hey! RAY: Endangering the lives of hundreds of people, then calling up to take credit for it, how smart is that? As Ray backs Carver up, we see a pretty teenage girl sitting on the floor, looking up surprised, alarmed. RAY: (CONT'D) (getting in his face) And since you have to register with a parole officer and we know just where to find you -- how smart is that? FRASER: (taps Ray's shoulder) Ray He indicates the girl, SHANNON, a high school senior. RAY: Okay, miss -- (shows badge) Chicago P.D. What has he done to you? SHANNON: He's tutoring me in Chemistry. Fraser has to cringe slightly, embarrassed for Ray. CARVER: Pure torture for some, I'm sure. Ray picks up the girl's notebook, hands it to Fraser. FRASER: (looking at notes) Avogadro's number. Part of any standard Chemistry course. Carver sizes up Fraser CARVER: I don't believe I've had the pleasure. FRASER: Constable Benton Fraser, Roy -- CARVER: Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Yes, I see. Love the mounties. FRASER: Thank you. RAY: Don't be thanking him. CARVER: Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. Fond memories. There's probably a logical explanation for why you're going around on duty with a Chicago policeman. FRASER: Curious, perhaps. But logical? Not very. No. CARVER: A refreshing openness. A quality in which local law enforcement is sorely lacking. I was arrested and convicted on a crime I didn't do -- FRASER: I understand there was physical evidence -- CARVER: False evidence! Could I have been so stupid as to have done what they said? FRASER: Bright people can slip up. CARVER: I DID NOT SLIP UP. Do you think it is impossible for your friend here to have crossed the line, to have framed an innocent man? RAY: (hard) All right, Carver. That's enough. CARVER: I hope so. Unless the Chicago Police Department has a problem with the teaching of high school science. If not, Shannon and I have a lot of material to get through... Fraser watches Ray and Carver. INT. POLICE STATION - DAY Carver, accompanied by Van Dyke, is being given back his wallet, keys, etc. in the process of being released. He pockets his things, gives Ray a level look, almost a smile, as he goes. Welsh snags Ray. WELSH: We are raiding Chemistry classes now, Vecchio? We are trying to combat the epidemic of people improving their minds in the city of Chicago? RAY: That wasn't the purpose -- WELSH: Ah, good, then there was a purpose to upsetting a law-abiding northside mother and her daughter. RAY: This guy is dirty, Lieutenant. Suspend me, fire me, burn my badge – but after I get him, 'cause he's out of control and he's going to hurt someone. Welsh stops, considers Ray. WELSH: I think we have to ask just who is out of control here. RAY: Let's find out. Put a watch on him. WELSH: Okay, Vecchio. I'll put some people on it. Try to nail him for something more than giving too much homework. EXT. CARVER'S DUPLEX/TOWNHOUSE - NIGHT (TWO) An unmarked police car pulls to a stop across the street. A closer view shows Detective Huey and a partner settling in to watch the building. SOUND OF A CELL PHONE RINGING. EXT. DOWNTOWN STREETS -- NIGHT Ray's car driving through. FRASER: (O.S.) (answering phone) Detective Vecchio's office. INT. RAY'S CAR - NIGHT Ray drives, shakes his head at Fraser's levity. Fraser holds Ray's cell. Diefenbaker is in back. CARVER: (O.S.) (on phone) He available? Fraser hands over the phone to Ray. RAY: Yeah? CARVER: A full-bore Carver stake-out. I'm impressed, Detective Vecchio. Ray nods to Fraser: it is who he thinks. RAY: Don't be. CARVER: This will make for a very solid Carver alibi, now, won't it? RAY: Depends on what you're planning. CARVER: You think you know the game now, don't you? You think you know who you are up against. RAY: Tell me who I'm up against. CARVER: You're in your car, aren't you, Detective? I'm surprised you'd let your timing get out of adjustment like that. RAY: This would be a good night to try something, pal. We'll get this over with. CARVER: It is a very good night. Sleep well, Detective. Goodnight clocks, goodnight socks. Goodnight room, and goodnight moon. EXT. CHICAGO SKYLINE - NIGHT A large, full white moon, brushed by wisps of clouds, suspended over the sleeping city. EXT. RAY'S NEIGHBORHOOD - DAWN (DAY THREE) A car drives by tossing newspapers on porches. SOUND OF A PHONE RINGING. INT. RAY'S BEDROOM - DAY Ray answers the phone groggily. RAY: Yeah? CARVER: When you drive your car this morning, you will find the timing improved. Ray sits up. CARVER: (CONT'D) A couple of those belts and hoses looked shot, so it just made sense to replace them. Simple stuff. Basic maintenance. You should stay on top of this, Detective. RAY: (enraged) You touched my car! Ray is out of his mind furious. EXT. RAY'S HOUSE - DAY Ray charges out and down the front steps in his pjs. He checks out his car --over, under, inside, outside, trunk, hood. No bomb. Nothing out of place. New hoses. The car is clean. INT. RAY'S HOUSE - FOYER - DAY Ray rushes back in, picks up the phone, crazed. RAY: (into phone) You are dog meat. CARVER: You aren't even going to say thank you? Did you notice the car was detailed also? RAY: You have just screwed up big time. Kiss your parole goodbye. CARVER: Is it against the law to do something nice for someone? Would you like the old hoses put back, and the timing made bad again? Would you like dirt on the car? RAY: It's against the law to take someone's property. In this case it's called grand theft auto. CARVER: And of course there'll be fingerprints, a witness -- you'll be able to prove this? CLICK. The caller has hung up. Ray steams with frustration. INT. POLICE STATION - DAY Fraser sits in a small office with Madeline Carnes and a man in a suit, FRANK GRECKO. MADELINE: Constable Fraser, Frank Grecko works in the States Attorney's office on police officer related misconduct. Grecko is a sturdy soul, a former college wrestler, a smart lawyer who has risen up the ranks by taking the unpleasant assignments and doing them well. He knows he's drawn another hot potato today, but is not to be deterred. MADELINE: (CONT'D) He wanted to ask you a few questions about Detective Vecchio. FRASER: Detective Vecchio is a fine officer. Excellent. I have never worked with better. (to Madeline) You know how committed he is. GRECKO: We all know how committed he is. That's what I need to learn more about. FRASER: Is that a problem? GRECKO: He seems to be taking the Carver case very personally. FRASER: Carver has made it very personal. GRECKO: What's your assessment of Detective Vecchio's current frame of mind? FRASER: I'm sorry, that's... He's my friend and colleague. GRECKO: Yes? FRASER: I really can't participate in this. GRECKO: That's your election. FRASER: I know, and I elect not to participate. (stands) Good day. He turns to go. GRECKO: Very well, Constable. But please do not discuss our conversation with Detective Vecchio. FRASER: I beg your pardon. With all due respect, Sir, I don't believe you have the authority to tell an officer of the RCMP what he can discuss with whom. GRECKO: You are entirely right. It would have to be voluntary on your part. Just as our allowing you to visit these offices and to accompany Detective Vecchio in the field is entirely voluntary on our part. Grecko and Fraser study each other. The threat is quite clear. GRECKO: (CONT'D) Thank you for your time, Constable. FRASER: Thank you both. He leaves. BULL PEN AREA Fraser, deeply troubled, crosses, looking for Ray, spots Elaine. FRASER: Is Detective Vecchio in yet? She glances at her watch. ELAINE: I haven't seen him. It's not like him to be late. Feel free to wait by his desk, Benton. Fraser sits at Ray's desk, notices something. A large size paper cup of Seven-Up rests near the edge. Something is floating in it. Fraser picks it up. A little wooden model of a small outboard motor boat. Ray storms in. RAY: Who was watching this guy? He slipped out right in front of you bozos. (sees Fraser, sees the little toy boat) What's that? FRASER: It was on your desk. RAY: More games? (snatches boat from Fraser) I'm not playing. FRASER: Ray... RAY: NO MORE GAMES! He smashes the boat on the desk. It breaks in half. People look up, including Grecko and Carnes from the little office. Fraser picks up the pieces. FRASER: (viewing the part with the stern) You know anybody with a motorboat named BOOKEM? Ray and Elaine exchange looks. Clearly they recognize the name. RAY: Will Kelly. Elaine is already on the phone, dialing. RAY: (CONT'D) He was here before Welsh, retired to fish up on the river. My first supervisor. Elaine looks up from the phone. ELAINE: No answer RAY: (to Elaine) Call the sheriff up there. (to Fraser) Let's go. EXT. HIGHWAY - DAY Out of the city. Ray's car driving on the open road. INT. RAY'S CAR - DAY He drives. Fraser in passenger seat. Diefenbaker in back. RAY: Well Kelly was... he was just the greatest. Everyone looked up to him. Imagine... imagine your dad. FRASER: I understand. RAY: For some reason he decided I was someone who could do this job, could even be good at it. It was because of Kelly I made detective when I did. FRASER: I believe I've heard him mentioned. RAY: Oh yeah. People still quote his famous sayings. "A good cop is never wet and never hungry." "Interrogation is a contact sport." "All suspects... INT. DARKENED ROOM Equipped with tvs, radios, various electronic monitoring equipment. CLOSE - CLEAR EYES Watching the monitors CLOSE - SMALL SPEAKERS RAY'S VOICE (O.S.) "...are guilty of something." CLOSE - LIPS LIPS: (quietly, sarcastic) Let me write that down. RAY'S VOICE (O.S.) Elaine? INT. RAY'S CAR - DAY Ray keys his police radio. RAY: Elaine. Anything? The answer is obviously discouraging. Fraser observes as Ray puts the mike back in its clip, floors the accelerator. The speedometer needle climbs. EXT. HIGHWAY - DAY Ray's car blasts north. EXT. RIVERSIDE MOTOR HOME - DAY A semi-permanent affair nestled among the pines a short walk from the water. A tall eight-by-two post supports lines bringing phone service in. The river is ruffled by spring flow into a frothy chop. SHERIFF VINCE COREY, whose biggest problem usually is busting people for camp fires out of season, strolls out from the porch as Ray's car pulls up. The guys and Diefenbaker get out. COREY: Detective Vecchio? Vince Corey. He extends a hand, which Ray shakes, introduces Fraser. RAY: Benton Fraser. COREY: (shakes, points to Fraser's tunic) Now that's a smart color for hunting season. Wish I could get everyone to take the same precautions. FRASER: Thank you. RAY: No Kelly? COREY: I walked all around. Everything looks in order. FRASER: Where's his boat? They all look toward the shore, head down toward it, Diefenbaker running about sniffing, barking. FRASER: (CONT'D) Rough day to be out on the water. COREY: (gesturing toward empty river) Nobody is. FRASER: Not now. Fraser reaches the gravel shore, picks up a piece of flotsam, a chunk of wood painted white with the partial word, "...ookem". RAY: Kelly's boat. (to Corey) Call for help. FRASER: (looking around) If the current brought this here... He tests the wind, tests the water, sights across the lake, makes calculations. FRASER: (CONT'D) Upstream. Fraser runs across the point toward the next cove. Diefenbaker yapping, precedes him. EXT. NEXT COVE - DAY Fraser scrambles out from the pine trees. ANGLE - INLET Half-floating in the shallow water, half washing up onto the shore, along with other chunks of a boat, is the shape of a man on his back in a watersoaked plaid parka. Fraser runs up to him as Ray and Corey come through the trees, spot the limp form. RAY: Will! INT. MOTOR HOME - DAY Kelly sits wrapped in a blanket, drinking a mug of hot soup. Fraser, Ray, Diefenbaker and Sheriff Corey watch him regain his strength by the minute. COREY: You got here just in time, Constable. FRASER: Thank you. COREY: Good thing you brought this fellow with you, Ray. He knew just where to look. FRASER: I'm sure Detective Vecchio would have made the same determination. Ray quietly looks off. He is not so sure at all that he could have figured out any such thing. KELLY: The engine just blew. Must have been a spark with the fuel or -- FRASER: Or a bomb. KELLY: (truly stunned by this) Bomb? RAY: You remember Charles Carver? You were my supervisor when we took him down. KELLY: Yeah, we got him... RAY: On arson. But remember we made him for fraud, possible homicide -- KELLY: I certainly remember that you felt that way, Ray. RAY: Yeah, well he's out on parol and going after everyone who had anything to do with his bust. Seems to want the world to think it was a frame. KELLY: (watching his former protege) You had him, didn't you, Ray? Fraser watches Kelly watching Ray. EXT. RAY'S HOUSE - DAY The DOORBELL RINGS. A man stands on the porch with a big arrangement of flowers. Ray's sister Francesca opens the door. FRANCESCA: Hello? REVERSE ANGLE - THE FLOWER MAN It is Charles Carver, wearing a plain windbreaker and a winning smile. CARVER: For Francesca Vecchio. FRANCESCA: They're beautiful. CARVER: From Ray. FRANCESCA: Ray? Ray remembered my birthday? You gotta be kidding. CARVER: (stepping in) Is there someplace you'd like me to set these down? INT. RAY'S HOUSE - DAY Carver walks into the entry. CARVER: On this table? FRANCESCA: Let me grab a trivet. She disappears into the kitchen. Carver looks around. Francesca returns, sets trivet on table. Carver places the flowers on the trivet. FRANCESCA: (CONT'D) (still amazed by this) They're fabulous. CARVER: He must know he's a lucky man to have such a pretty girl. She smiles demurely, explains. FRANCESCA: He's my brother. CARVER: Then the flowers from your husband can't be far behind. FRANCESCA: I'm not married. Carver spots the baby carriage by the steps. CARVER: So the little one is... FRANCESCA: My sister's. I don't have kids. Carver leans over the baby carriage. CARVER: What a sweet face. (leans into carriage) Hey, darlin'. (to Francesca) Taking him out for some air? FRANCESCA: Yeah, his mom's going to take him to the park by the lake if the weather stays nice. CARVER: Ah. Well, let's all hope for a nice day. EXT. RIVER AREA - DAY Ray's car is driving out past Kelly's mailbox. FRASER: (O.S.) Stop a minute, Ray. Fraser gets out of the car, goes to the mailbox, where he finds a package taped to the back. It has a red tag on it to make it visible. FRASER: (CONT'D) This was put here so it would be seen on leaving. He hands the package through the window to Ray. Ray unwraps the paper, holds up a miniature toy model baby carriage. He hands it to Fraser. RAY: I'm not playing any more. FRASER: Okay. Ray leans his head on the steering wheel, shutting his eyes. Then he opens them. RAY: There are only about a hundred thousand of these in Chicago. Ray's CELL PHONE RINGS. RAY: (CONT'D) (into phone) Vecchio. INT. RAY'S HOUSE - DAY Francesca on the phone. FRANCESCA: Ray, what got into you? These are so incredibly sweet. INTERCUT: RAY: What's sweet? FRANCESCA: The flowers you sent. RAY: Oh my god. Franny, get everybody in, Mom, Maria, the kids. I'm on my way. FRANCESCA: Maria is out with the baby. Crazed now, Ray floors the accelerator. The car grinds out of the drive spraying dirt. INT. MOVING CAR RAY: It's not people related to the bust that Carver is after. It's people related to me. EXT. DOWNTOWN BY THE LAKE - DAY A park where mothers take toddlers and infants to play in the sand pit, climb on the jungle gym, just relax and get fresh air. Ray's car screeches in. Fraser, Ray and Diefenbaker jump out. FRASER: (looking over the scene) Ten mothers. Eleven baby carriages. Fraser and Ray run toward the baby carriages. The mothers stand up from the benches alarmed. Ray pulls his badge. RAY: Police. Fraser leans into a baby carriage. The baby inside instantly starts to squall as Fraser's face startlingly looms toward him. FRASER: Sorry. He runs to the next baby carriage. Ray looks in another. A baby sleeps cozily inside. Diefenbaker barks at another. Fraser runs to that baby carriage. He sniffs the air as he approaches. When he gets to the baby carriage, he grabs it, starts pushing it fast and faster. The mothers scream wildly as they see this and see where he is headed. Fraser, running as fast as he can, pushes the baby carriage down the wharf. As he gets to he end, he gives it a hard shove. The baby carriage sails off the end of the wharf, plunges in a sharp parabola toward the water, is swallowed up by the waves with a big burble, then vanishes below the surface. CLOSE SHOTS - FACES. Stunned beyond horror. SILENCE. THEN -- A ROAR and a geyser of water shoots upward from the force of an under-the-surface blast. FADE OUT. END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE FADE IN: EXT. RAY'S HOUSE - DAY Late in the day. A big station wagon, loaded down with suitcases, boxes, full to the gills with passengers we can't see, drives off. RAY: (into cell phone, watching car) Maria? Okay, the phone works. Don't call me. Don't let ma call me. I will call you every hour. Ray turns to Francesca. RAY: (CONT'D) You should be with them. This city is not safe for you right now. FRANCESCA: I can't leave work, Ray. RAY: Well, you can't stay here. INT. FRASER'S APARTMENT BUILDING HALLWAY - NIGHT (THREE) Fraser walks up to his apartment, pauses, cocks his head listening. Yes, definitely ... music from inside. He goes in. INT. FRASER'S APARTMENT - NIGHT It is his same old single room and kitchenette, but it looks and feels different. Curtains on the windows, dust ruffle on the bed. The table is set with cloth placemats and flowers and candles flickering with amber light. The music, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, plays on a small boombox. Diefenbaker looks up at Fraser with what can only be described as a wolfish grin. FRASER: I know you didn't do this. Francesca walks out of the kitchen carrying a steaming casserole. She wears an apron over one of her best outfits. FRANCESCA: Welcome home, Benton. I hope you like lasagna. How was your day? FRASER: Fine. FRANCESCA: You go wash up. She nudges him toward his sink alcove. As he approaches the sink to wash his hands, he sees the whole area is inundated with Francesca's cosmetics and beauty products. INT. COFFEE SHOP - NIGHT A waitress sets a coke on the counter in front of Ray. He raises it, takes a sip, checks the mirror. RAY'S POV - IN MIRROR Ray has positioned himself to be able to watch Charles Carver, who sits at a table near the door. He is doing the newspaper crossword puzzle and eating a pot pie. He looks up and meets Ray's eyes in the mirror. Ray returns the gaze, his expression saying, I've got all night. Carver shrugs, returns to his food and puzzle. BACK TO RAY Determined not to let Carver's sang froid throw him. He can play it cool too. The waitress sets a burger down in front of him. His eyes still on Carver, Ray raises the burger, bites into -- something hard. He reacts, lifts off the bun. He finds a small tonka toy firetruck. He throws money on the counter as he gets up. ANGLE Ray hurries out past Carver, glaring at him. CARVER: I'm here, Detective Vecchio. You see me. Eating a pot pie. Right in this seat. EXT. RAY'S HOUSE - NIGHT Ray rushes left, rushes right, sees nothing, hurries inside. HOLD ON THE HOUSE as lights in adjoining rooms go on one after the other. INT. FRASER'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Fraser and Francesca sit at the table, Francesca watching Fraser closely as he raises a forkful of lasagna. FRANCESCA: It's going to take me awhile to get to know just how you like it. FRASER: This is fine. Delicious. FRANCESCA: You haven't tasted it yet. FRASER: I know it will be... (puts it in his mouth, chews, then) Delicious. FRANCESCA: Really? Because I think it's very important that we both be honest with each other right from the start. FRASER: Delicious. FRANCESCA: Of course, you're always honest, I know that. But you're also polite, so I can't know if you're being honest or polite -- if I babble too much you have to tell me. FRASER: No. I mean, yes, I will tell you. And I'm telling you, no. FRANCESCA: So what are we going to talk about tonight? FRASER: Whatever you like, Francesca. FRANCESCA: No, it can't be just whatever I like. I mean, with my girl friends I talk about skin-care products, things like that. But I read enough magazines to know that with each guy you talk about the things that guy is interested in. FRASER: I see. FRANCESCA: So how about that Iditerod, huh? FRASER: Which Iditerod? INT. FRASER'S BUILDING - HALLWAY - NIGHT MOVE CLOSE ON - a power box. A small incendiary device ignites. A burst of thick sparks, then the flames take, start to grow. EXT RAY'S HOUSE - NIGHT Ray comes out with a sturdy high beam flashlight, shining it along the base of the wall, disappears momentarily on the side, reappears. INT. FRASER'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Fraser and Francesca continue with dinner. FRANCESCA: This is nice. So different from home. We're halfway through dinner and you haven't yelled once. FRASER: Well, no. Francesca discreetly turns the power off on a cell phone (Ray gave it to her). FRANCESCA: I could get very used to this politeness stuff. Sometimes I think it would be a good thing if married people treated each other like strangers. FRASER: That may be. But it doesn't follow that it's a good thing for strangers to treat each other as though they were married. She looks up at him quickly, her eyes a tad moist. Then: FRANCESCA: I just love it when you're logical. FRASER: You're going to like anything I say, aren't you? FRANCESCA: Anything. EXT. CHICAGO STREETS - NIGHT Ray is punching his cell phone. RAY: Come on, Franny, pick up. Fraser, why don't you have a phone? INT. FRASER'S BUILDING - HALLWAY - NIGHT The fire in the hallway is growing, feeding on the old wood and cool draft, crackling. INT. FRASER'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Francesca, adoring this dinner, as well as her dinner companion/roommate, drains her glass of wine. FRANCESCA: Since skin-care products are an area I know something about, I did get rid of that harsh mountie-issue soap you were using. FRASER: That was really quite unnecessary. FRANCESCA: It tends to dry out your skin in our climate, Benton. Fraser sniffs the air, looks at Diefenbaker, who whines. FRASER: Do you smell something burning? FRANCESCA: (jumping up) The pears Helene. FRASER: It's not that. (sniffs) Downstairs. INT. FRASER'S BUILDING - HALLWAY - NIGHT Fraser, Diefenbaker and Francesca scramble down the stairway. FRANCESCA: There, Benton. A small section of the vestibule is engulfed in flame. Fraser grabs the fire extinguisher, directs the foam onto the powerbox, the rest of the flames. In the next moment Ray comes running in. RAY: I've called it in. He has a small extinguisher from his car, which also turns on the fire. Their combined efforts mop up the fire. Fraser notices something in the area he is spraying, in the soot and cinders. FRASER: Ah. He picks it up, two things actually, tied together -- tiny toy shoes. Ray looks over, sees the shoes. Fraser watches Ray's expression as he reacts to the sight of the shoes. INT. POLICE STATION - DAY (FOUR) Ray holds the shoes up for Welsh. RAY: We found these. And this. He shows a small charred object. RAY: (CONT'D) A sophisticated incendiary device. WELSH: Vecchio. Slow down. This was a fire. Let the arson guys do their thing. Welsh goes into his office, leaving Ray frustrated. WELSH'S OFFICE Elaine waits for him, holding files. WELSH: (CONT'D) What'd you find? ELAINE: Everything you asked for. WELSH: And? ELAINE: Well, when you read these old Carver files, it really seems -- INT. MADELINE'S APARTMENT - DAY Madeline is talking to Fraser.
MADELINE: ...the prosecution's case was pretty thin. No prints. No witnesses. No record of previous criminal activity. A tenuous motive. FRASER: But a jury convicted him. MADELINE: It all came down to that missing heel on Carver's shoe that Ray found at the scene. That and the intensity of Ray's testimony. FRASER: Ray found the heel after the arson investigators had gone over the scene? MADELINE: Yes, but we were able to explain that they had been called away, hadn't really completed their investigation, so they could have missed it. FRASER: You don't sound totally convinced. She considers him. MADELINE: He's your friend. FRASER: Yes. MADELINE: You've worked with him. FRASER: Yes. MADELINE: Have you ever seen him kick down a door without a warrant? Play rough with a suspect? Put the squeeze on somebody? FRASER: Are you saying you think he crossed the line? MADELINE: I don't know, Benton. I remember that Ray was knocking himself out on this. At the time, it really seemed to be a case of his going the extra mile, doing some really crackerjack police work. FRASER: At the time. INT. POLICE STATION - DAY Ray is at his desk, looks up to see a sight he didn't expect to see on the other side of the room. His ex-wife, ANGIE. ANGLE - ANGIE Passing by Elaine. ELAINE: Hey, Angie. ANGIE: Hello, Elaine. ELAINE: You here to see Ray? ANGIE: No. She walks into Welsh's office. BACK TO RAY Who has started to stand. Puzzled, he settles back into his seat. INT. TRENDY NEIGHBORHOOD HANGOUT - DAY Fraser sits at a high table with Laurie Zaylor. LAURIE: Is this place all right? I wasn't sure, when you said you wanted to talk... FRASER: Seems like a perfectly nice place. LAURIE: Good. You know, we can have a drink. It doesn't have to be business. FRASER: I know. Thank you. But I did have a few questions. LAURIE: About Ray. FRASER: Yes. She nods, resignedly. A waitress sets drinks in front of them, smiles at Fraser. FRASER: (CONT'D) You were Ray's partner when you quit the force. LAURIE: I was sick of police work. The lousy hours, bad food, the skuzzy people you meet. FRASER: Charles Carver? LAURIE: He was one of the scuzziest. FRASER: You resigned right after the Carver case. She nods assent, seems less inclined to talk about it. FRASER: (CONT'D) Because of Carver? Or Ray? LAURIE: Ray was pretty intense back then. That put a lot of people off. But I liked him. He cared. FRASER: You cared too. You were partners. You went back to the crime scene and found the heel that matched Carver's shoe. LAURIE: Actually, I didn't. We had put in an eighteen hour day. We were off the clock. Kelly sent me home to crash. Ray went back for one more look around. FRASER: So he was alone when he found the heel? Laurie nods gloomily. EXT. CHICAGO STREETS - DAY Ray's car driving. Fraser, Ray and Diefenbaker. RAY: Carver didn't just study Chemistry while he was in stir. He hands Fraser a scrapbook. RAY: (CONT'D) Condition of parole. We have access to his living quarters. The guys found this. FRASER: (looking it over) Clippings of cases you worked on. A page from your high school year book? (reads) Most likely to end up behind bars? Oh, that's Vincenzo. RAY: He's got a book on me, but that doesn't explain how he is always one step ahead of us. He seems to know just where we're going, what we're thinking. FRASER: We haven't revealed anything to him. Ray suddenly brakes the car, pulls over. He feels under the dash, senses something. He starts to shake his head in disgust at himself as he pulls a small object from under the dash. He hands it to Fraser, who examines the small microphone/transmitter (bug). RAY: From the night he took my car. Ray's CELL PHONE RINGS. RAY: (CONT'D) (into phone) Vecchio. PHONE VOICE (O.S.): I would have thought you would have figured out there was a bug in your car before this. Don't get off your game, Detective, you'll make it too easy. And this won't be any fun at all. FRASER: Ask him how the heel on his shoe got loose in the first place. CARVER: The heel on my shoe wasn't loose! RAY: He says it wasn't loose. Of course. FRASER: He heard my question? RAY: (groans) There's another bug. EXT. KELLY'S RIVERFRONT MOTOR HOME - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. Elaine and Huey get out. As they walk up the path, they spot Kelly working on his propane tank at the side of the trailer. Kelly looks up. HUEY: Lieutenant Kelly. KELLY: Yes ELAINE: We need to talk. EXT. STREET - DAY Ray's car sits half-dismantled on the street. The hood and trunk are open. The front seat and other major parts sit on the curb. Ray is inside, carefully but hurriedly removing floorboard. FRASER: It has to be close enough to the passenger compartment to hear conversation -- RAY: And without being drowned out by engine noise, so -- Ah! He leans back so Fraser can see past him. Fraser reaches into the area Ray has exposed, takes out the bug that is indeed there. He also discovers something else. RAY: (CONT'D) What's that, Benny? FRASER: It's another toy vehicle apparently. He hands it to Ray, who holds it up, examines it. It is indeed a Tonka Toy metal car. A vintage maroon Buick Riviera. RAY: (looking closer) Not any toy car. It's a Buick Riviera. It's my car. And it's been crushed. FRASER: You car is green. This is maroon. RAY: So he couldn't find a green one. It's still obvious. He's saying he's going to make me have an accident. FRASER: Possibly, Ray. But look at the way the car is crushed, flattened really, like it was stepped on. RAY: Probably because he stepped on it. FRASER: But very few traffic accidents are like that, where a vehicle is crushed from the top. There are many accidents you could cause, but one like that would be very difficult. RAY: So what are you saying, he's not threatening an accident? FRASER: I don't know. Ray sinks down on the curb. RAY: I hate this, Benny. Puzzles. Riddles. Cute little clues. Fraser sits next to him. FRASER: You solve problems all the time. RAY: Not like this. These are like those awful word problems in school. A train leaves Dayton going sixty miles an hour at 2 pm, when will it meet the train from Akron... The only answer I could ever come up with was, "Who cares?" FRASER: Good answer. And you're doing fine here, Ray. RAY: Doing fine? This guy is lighting fires, exploding bombs, wreaking havoc and I haven't come close to stopping him. FRASER: Nobody's gotten hurt. RAY: Yet. I'm playing some kind of weird game, and I don't even understand the rules. FRASER: You're figuring him out, Ray. RAY: And he has me completely figured out. I'm not up to this, Benny. I'm over my head. EXT. POLICE STATION - ESTABLISHING - DAY INT. POLICE STATION - DAY As Ray and Fraser go by Welsh's office, Welsh catches Ray's eye. Crooks a finger, summoning him. WELSH'S OFFICE Ray and Fraser enter. Frank Grecko is there. And a couple of new faces, men in suits who reek authority. WELSH: You know Frank Grecko, from the States Attorney's office. GRECKO: How do you do. They all shake hands. WELSH: (indicating the others) And of course you know our friends from Internal Affairs. Ray and Fraser exchange looks. WELSH: (CONT'D) Frank investigates officer related malfeasance. RAY: I don't believe this. WELSH: Look, Ray, this isn't easy for me -- FRASER: Gentlemen, with your permission. I have accompanied Detective Vecchio on this investigation since the turkey in the shower incident -- GRECKO: This isn't about now, Constable. This is about eight years ago. The original Charles Carver bust. RAY: What about it? GRECKO: It's looking bad, Detective. The shoe with the missing heel hadn't been worn without the heel as it would have been if someone had been running from the scene of a crime. So the heel was removed from the shoe when it was indoors. The evidence was planted. RAY: You are discovering this now? GRECKO: We've been asking some questions that should have been asked then but weren't – in the rush to judgement. And we've been talking to some people who should have been talked to then, but weren't. RAY: What people? GRECKO: The other investigators. Attorneys. RAY: My ex-wife. He looks at Welsh, whose look acknowledges this. RAY: (CONT'D) Don't you see what's happening here? He's doing this. He's got you to focus on the old case, so we're distracted, slowed down, and he can pull off his new schemes – when what we should be doing is moving quickly to bust his sick ass – GRECKO: This time, Detective, we are not going to be rushed into making a mistake. Fraser watches, at least as disturbed and disconcerted by all this as Ray. FADE OUT. END OF ACT THREE
ACT FOUR FADE IN: EXT. STREETS - DAY Fraser and Ray walk. RAY: He's winning. He's going to get his conviction reversed, get me fired, be free to do... we don't even know what he's working up to doing -- but it's going to be ugly. FRASER: He has probably given us enough clues to figure that out. RAY: You see this, he's got us playing his game. By doing that, he's already won. FRASER: One thing I thought I knew about you: you don't give up. RAY: It doesn't make any difference. He's better. FRASER: You know, in the Territories once -- RAY: No badger-Eskimo-stuck in the ice stories right now, Fraser. I'm not in the mood. FRASER: Okay. They walk in silence. RAY: The badger gave up. FRASER: Well, yes. RAY: But he survived and learned a lesson. No, he died and learned a lesson. FRASER: I don't think so. RAY: Then what were you going to say about him? FRASER: Just that I thought he was a wuss. This gets a rueful smile from Ray. OMITTED INT. POLICE STATION - WELSH'S OFFICE - DAY (FIVE) Ray is seated across from Welsh. Grecko stands behind him. GRECKO: You were still with your ex-wife at the time of Carver's arrest? RAY: Yes. GRECKO: She says she saw the heel -- what turned out to be the heel from Carver's shoe – at your home. GRECKO: You had it in your home. RAY: Yes. It never left my person from the time I found it at the crime scene to when I booked it at the Station. WELSH: And you stopped off at home for lunch? RAY: Around lunch time. WELSH: Something you made a habit of. RAY: No. GRECKO: Would you say you'd done it often, occasionally, rarely -- RAY: I'd never done it. Look, this was when the marriage was pretty shaky. We'd had a fight that morning. I decided to stop by... GRECKO: So, is it fair to say you were emotionally upset at the time? Ray looks up at him, then nods. EXT. KELLY'S RIVERSIDE MOTORHOME - DAY Wind rustling through the pines. INT. KELLY'S MOTORHOME - DAY Fraser watches Kelly fashioning a fly-casting lure. KELLY: To catch prey you need drive and patience. Ray had drive. FRASER: Patience? KELLY: Patience was not his long suit. He sets down his tools, thread. KELLY: (CONT'D) Look, you gotta understand. Carver was dirty. FRASER: Dirty enough so a policeman might plant evidence to get him? The arson investigators had been over the scene-- KELLY: They didn't look under every charred timber. FRASER: So the heel was quite hidden? KELLY: It wasn't that hidden. Ray found it. And we put away a very bad guy. More than that, nobody needs to know. INT. POLICE STATION - NEAR MACHINES - DAY Angela, Ray's ex-wife, sits on a bench. She stands when she sees him enter. ANGIE: Hey. RAY: Hey. ANGIE: Is it going to be okay? RAY: At this point, we don't know. ANGIE: I'm sorry, Ray. They asked questions. I had to tell them. RAY: You did right. ANGIE: I told them you were more committed to catching bad guys than anyone on the force. RAY: You told them that? ANGIE: Shouldn't I have? RAY: What they think is that I might have been too committed. They think I planted evidence. ANGIE: The heel of the shoe. RAY: Yeah. ANGIE: Every cop in the district wanted that squirrel. He was doing awful things. It seemed like if you could do something that didn't hurt anyone that could put him away, that would be a good thing. RAY: What are you saying, Angie, that you think I planted the heel? ANGIE: It never made a lot of sense, that a guy that careful would leave a heel like that. And you were carrying it around with you -- RAY: Angie, you of all people. You really thought I would do that? ANGIE: You wanted him off the streets, and you were right. Ray looks at her sadly. RAY: We lived in the same house, slept in the same bed, and we were a million miles apart. INT. FRASER'S APARTMENT - DAY Fraser is alert to something amiss as he enters. It takes him only a second to realize what it is. FRASER: Diefenbaker? There is no response. The apartment is empty. Fraser kneels, picks up a piece of wolf hair, sniffs it. He quickly heads out. INT. HALLWAY -- DAY Fraser hurries down it, stopping to spot traces of Diefenbaker. Further down the hall he sees something. He crouches and picks it up. A frayed piece of rope, something that might have been used to tie around a wolf's neck and drag him. Fraser sniffs the rope, tastes it... and falls unconscious. OMITTED INT. POLICE STATION - DAY Ray crosses to his desk and sits, very blue. He puts his head in his hands, then slowly raises his head noticing something on the desk in front of him. A box. He opens the box and removes a small black Tonka toy type hearse. He studies it. He turns it around carefully. He turns it over, then rights it. He gently feels its surface. He puts it on his palm, scratches his head watching it. Then, ever so gently, he tries the back door on the hearse, which swings open. He looks. There is something inside. He shakes it down, then pulls out what is inside... a tiny metal toy soldier type figure: a mountie in dress reds. ELAINE: (seeing this) I'll call the consulate. RAY: He won't be there. HUEY: I'll go by his place. RAY: He won't be there either. HUEY: You know where he is? RAY: I'm supposed to figure it out. DISSOLVE TO: INT. POLICE STATION - DAY Ray sits at his desk. He has all the miniature Carver clues lined up on the desk in front of him: the bus, the pieces of boat, the baby carriage, the fire truck, the shoes, the squashed Buick, the hearse and the mountie. He is all alone with this, no one to help him. He has to put it together himself. Suddenly he picks up the crunched Buick with new understanding. Then he stands up, grabs his coat, heads out. EXT. STREETS - DAY Ray's car zipping through. CLOSE ON - A SEDAN Being mashed into a pancake by powerful crushers. EXT. JUNK CAR LOT - WIDER - DAY Mounds of cars in great piles, waiting their turn at the crusher. Stacks of metal tortillas piled on the other side of it. Ray's car pulls up in the background. ANGLE - AMONG THE CARS Ray runs through. RAY: (calling) Fraser! Fraser! He stops, hearing a sound. Thumping. Muffled thumping. He moves toward the sound. It seems to be coming from one particular car -- a maroon Buick Riviera. Ray creaks open the door of the car. Inside is Fraser, bound and gagged. Also Diefenbaker, bound and gagged. IN CAR Ray gets in, hurrying to Fraser's aid. RAY: (CONT'D) Hang in there, Benny. I'll untie you. He reaches behind Fraser to free his hands. CLICK. A snare has been released. Ray gets a hand out, the other is imprisoned in a trap. RAY: (CONT'D) Hey! They hear a CHUNK, and the car moves, shakes WIDER The car containing Fraser, Ray and Diefenbaker rises from the pile of other cars, ascends twenty feet in the air on the tines of a forklift. ANGLE - FORKLIFT OPERATOR Held aloft and moving toward the huge compactor. With his free hand Ray gets the gag off Fraser's mouth and out of Diefenbaker's mouth. FRASER: Hello, Ray. RAY: Hi, Fraser. FRASER: Assessment? RAY: This sucks. FRASER: That's valid. The car jerks. WIDE SHOT - THE CAR Wobbling in the air as it progresses toward the crusher. IN CAR FRASER: (CONT'D) I've come to the conclusion that the heel was planted. RAY: You too now, Fraser? FRASER: The arson guys had been over the scene. RAY: Not thoroughly. FRASER: They still would have seen it since it wasn't entirely hidden by the debris. RAY: How do you know it was not entirely hidden? FRASER: I was told. (quotes) "All suspects are guilty of something." RAY: Kelly. FRASER: He was the one who sent your partner Laurie home. He was the one who told you to go back for one last look. RAY: I wanted Carver so bad, I didn't question... (shakes his head) And I could have nailed him clean. FRASER: There was no evidence. RAY: There's always evidence. I hadn't made detective and I was too new. I can get him now though. WIDER The forklift has brought the car to the massive compactor. IN THE CAR FRASER: You can get him now? RAY: I found Helen Harris. Ray nods, indicating something. Fraser looks in the direction of Ray's nod. He sees the small bug in the roof of the car. The forklift stops. The car sways to a halt. They can hear someone climbing on the metal. WIDER The forklift operator, who with his hood down and earphones off is identifiable as Carver, climbs on the machinery so his head is on a level with Fraser and Ray. CARVER: You didn't find Helen Harris. RAY: I found her living in Maryland. She is ready to tell the whole crummy story of how you treated her and those other women. CARVER: She's lying RAY: I don't think so. CARVER: Whoever you spoke to is not Helen Harris. RAY: Five six. Brown hair. Walks with a limp. Says you're a reptile. CARVER: It's a set-up. It's Kelly again. Or... or Welsh. Or Fraser here. RAY: Sorry, pal. You shouldn't have let this one get away. CARVER: I DID NOT LET HER GET AWAY! RAY: You thought you killed her -- CARVER: I did kill her! Silence. RAY: Ah. I really wanted to hear you say that. CARVER: Okay, you heard it. It won't matter when you become a steel burrito. FRASER: What if he's not the only one who heard it? CARVER: You'll be salsa too. RAY: And what if Lieutenant Welsh heard it? Fraser looks at Ray, who nods. FRASER: Not bad. (to Carver) And Assistant States Attorneys Carnes and Grecko? He looks at Ray again, who nods. RAY: You're not the only one who knows how to plant a bug, Carver. Carver looks around. From behind a junk car, Welsh appears. From another Madeline Carnes steps out. Near her Grecko rises up. From all over the lot uniformed swat team members and plain clothes police appear. RAY: (CONT'D) You didn't really expect me to play this game by your rules, did you, Charlie? OMMITTED EXT. JUNK CAR LOT - DAY Some time later. It is now a police crime scene. Yellow tape up. Carver in handcuffs being placed in a blue-and-white. Fraser and Ray walk off. FRASER: You knew Carver would want to hear you panic. RAY: Right. FRASER: So you knew he would bug the car. RAY: Right. FRASER: Very clever, Ray. RAY: Thank you, Benny. FRASER: I have one question. RAY: Yeah? FRASER: I have to drive the Trade Minister to Waukegan tonight. I figure in late traffic I'll average forty miles an hour, so the amount of time I should allow myself is -- RAY: Lots.
