A CLUE SAGA
Episode #1
EXT. ARLINGTON HALL - MORNING
ARLINGTON HALL is a sprawling estate located within Washington D.C. Known by locals as PEACOCK HALL. At the front gates, wreaths of flowers are laid out to honor the late Senator Peacock. Roses, petunias, and peacock feathers surround a painting of him. It is clear he was loved and respected by multitudes.
From the front doors of ARLINGTON HALL, LABORERS carry furniture, paintings, and sculptures outside to the gravel driveway. BANKERS, LAWYERS, and INSURANCE MEN lurk around the contents of the mansion with beady eyes. Gray trucks are being loaded with the repossessed riches from ARLINGTON HALL near the gates. A blue Rolls Royce and a red Convertible are being pulled out of the GARAGE by two tow-trucks.
EXT. ARLINGTON HALL: TENNIS COURTS - CONTINUOUS
2.
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET (22) and MR. EDWARD CLAY (24) play tennis together in the walled-off gardens. They are carefree and pay no attention to the dismantling of ARLINGTON HALL. They begin to flirt, tease, and goof-off as the match becomes less and less serious.
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET
(laughing)
"Watch your aim!"
MR. CLAY drops his tennis racket, feigning offense. MISS SCARLET slowly bends over to pick up the ball, wiggling her backside seductively.
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"My aim is perfectly fine. I'm not the one taking lessons."
MISS SCARLET gaily skips over to him, holding the ball in her palm.
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET
"Every dog can learn a new trick."
MR. CLAY slides his arms around her waist and pulls her closer. Their faces are inches apart.
MR. EDWARD CLAY
(breathless)
"So, we're dogs now, are we?"
MISS SCARLET and MR. CLAY lock their lips together in a passionate, sloppy kiss. MISS SCARLET loses her grip on the tennis ball and it rolls off. The young lovers dig their fingernails into each other, grinding their bodies together in lust.
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET
"We could always take this somewhere more private. Maybe go upstairs and use my bedroom one last time before the bank takes everything."
Just the mention of the current financial state of ARLINGTON HALL changes the mood. Their passion-play ceases as MR. CLAY is visibly distracted. MISS SCARLET notices he is observing the LABORERS disdainfully. A grand piano is being brought down the stone steps of the front porch.
SMASH. CRACK. CRASH.
3.
One MAN slips and the piano breaks a leg, crashing with a ripple of note pitches, wood cracking, and strings snapping. The MEN begin to argue and blame one another.
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET
(ignoring the commotion)
"We are going to be fine. We will make our mark in Connecticut this weekend."
MISS SCARLET smiles and grabs MR. CLAY's arm excitedly.
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET
"All the glamorous dinner parties and galas that I'll be hired to sing for. There will be regular garden parties and festivals at Blackwell Grange. Did you ever expect you'd make a career out of being the private tennis coach for one rich man? It's a dream come true. This new chapter of our lives... it'll be great!"
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"It's your stepmother that I'm worried about."
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET
(bitterly)
"The old bitch always comes out on top. I doubt this time will be any different."
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"Yes, but it's obvious she has reservations about going."
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET
"She suffered a little heartbreak at Blackwell Grange. God knows she should be used to heartbreak by now... five husbands, countless muses, and nothing to show for it. She's still running from the fucking past..."
MR. CLAY doesn't say anything. He picks up the two discarded tennis rackets and the ball.
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET
(seeing his sadness)
"She'll either get over it, or she'll suppress it.
(MORE)
4.
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET (CONT'D)
Either way, she will move on. She's survived more than anyone I've ever known"
MR. EDWARD CLAY
(nostalgic)
"When I first started training your stepmother and the Senator, I thought she was the luckiest woman in the world. She was so genuinely happy with the Senator... I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring all of that up again."
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET
(holding back tears)
"It's fine. Really, I don't mind. You cared for him too. Out of every man Patricia married, Senator Peacock was the only one I truly loved and cared about. The other men... They..."
MISS SCARLET takes a few steps away, turns around, and takes a deep, steadying breath.
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET
"My father would have loved Marcus Peacock. He would have been proud of the way he raised me..."
MR. EDWARD CLAY
(depressed)
"I'm sorry. I brought the whole day down..."
MISS SCARLET looks towards the LABORERS and ARLINGTON HALL.
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET
"The day was already bad from the start. We knew the repo-men were coming. We were naïve for trying to avoid the conflict."
MR. EDWARD CLAY
(sighing)
"I just get in my head sometimes... it's only been three months since he died but it feels like a lifetime... I uh... I guess we'll just have to work on facing reality."
5.
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET
(laughing)
"That would go against my entire upbringing."
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"But it will make our future a lot easier."
MISS SCARLET smiles at the prospect of a long happy future with MR. CLAY in Connecticut.
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET
"Let's go annoy those men from the bank. I'm going to practice singing for my show tonight. Closing night critics can be ruthless."
MR. CLAY perks up, smiling at the suddenly upbeat attitude from the beautiful, bombshell before him.
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"I love you, Vivienne."
MISS SCARLET tries to say something, but MR. CLAY holds up his hand.
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"You don't have to say it back if you don't want to. I just needed you to know."
MISS SCARLET stares at him with a huge smile and sparkling eyes.
MR. EDWARD CLAY
(nervously rambling)
"No matter how anxious I get, or how worked up... you... you can change the atmosphere of a room with your smile. You are everything to me. More special than I ever thought anyone could ever be to me."
MISS VIVIENNE SCARLET
(laughing)
"Eddie, stop."
(pause)
"I love you too."
MISS SCARLET holds his face with both of her hands and brings his lips to hers.
6.
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"We are going to be fine. It'll be great!"
EXT. VON GATOW TRAIN STATION - LATER
Von Gatow is a seedy fishing town on the southern coast of Maine. The streets are made of dirt, the docks are covered in seagull droppings, and the air reeks of rotting fish. The unusual tides cause shipwrecks and ghost-ships to drift into the harbor, polluting it with funnels, masts, broken bows, and rust covered sterns. The most notable structure, in the otherwise wooden shanty town, is the large brick TRAIN STATION at the center of the town's square.
INT. VON GATOW TRAIN STATION: SPEAKEASY - CONTINUOUS
The rumbling sound of a train overhead causes the hanging oil lamps to rattle and flicker. The long, empty tunnel has been set up as a make-shift tavern. Wobbly tables, war-torn cabinets, old sofas, and yellowed mattresses fill the narrow space. A poker game is taking place at the apex of the tunnel near the counter and cabinet serving as a bar.
Around the poker table are four men and billows of smoke.
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD (65) squints through the monocle in his left eye. He looks over the King of Diamonds and Two of Clubs in his hand.
MONSIEUR ALPHONSE BRUNETTE (53) sits quietly with a content, yet crooked smile on his face. His Queen of Spades and Ten of Clubs give him comfort.
CAPTAIN GREGORY SEAFOAM (70) mutters grumpily beneath the clouds of thick smoke coming from his pipe. The Three of Diamonds and Three of Hearts stare back at him.
BARON MATHIEU BRONZE (27) eyes everyone with a smirk, knocking his ringed fingers against the wooden table. The Seven of Hearts and Jack of Spades rest face-down in front of him. He is dressed better than everyone else in the room.
7.
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
"Right, then. I'll raise twenty."
COL. MUSTARD drinks the shot of whiskey before him, grimacing a bit as he picks his cards back up. He exhales audibly. He raises his hand and motions for the BARTENDER. Quickly, the BARTENDER comes around the table and pours more whiskey in his empty shot glass.
M. BRUNETTE speaks in a French accent.
MONSIEUR ALPHONSE BRUNETTE
(looking at his cards)
"Okay. I'll stay in."
M. BRUNETTE throws more money into the pot and reaches into his pocket for his cigarette box. He places it on the table, offering everyone a cigarette. BARON BRONZE takes one and proceeds to check every one of his pockets for a lighter or box of matches. He turns up empty-handed and decides to continue double-checking anyway.
CAPT. SEAFOAM speaks in a Scottish accent.
CAPTAIN GREGORY SEAFOAM
(adding to the pot)
"I'll call your nonsense, Colonel. You're just a boy trying his hardest, after all."
COL. MUSTARD grinds his teeth at being called 'boy' by a man barely older than himself. CAPT. SEAFOAM spits on the floor and strikes a match. He holds it out for BARON BRONZE, who is still searching his pockets.
BARON MATHIEU BRONZE
(tossing in cards)
"Fold."
BARON BRONZE leans back in his chair to enjoy the cigarette. M. BRUNETTE watches him with narrow eyes.
CAPT. SEAFOAM deals out three cards in the center. The Queen of Diamonds, the Ace of Spades, and the Three of Clubs.
CAPTAIN GREGORY SEAFOAM
"What will it be, Colonel?"
COL. MUSTARD looks at his useless cards, trying to hide the frustration.
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
(tossing in money)
"I'll raise another twenty."
8.
MONSIEUR ALPHONSE BRUNETTE
(adding money)
"I'll call."
CaPTAIN GREGORY SEAFOAM
(adding more money)
"Fifty."
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
(carefree)
"One hundred."
M. BRUNETTE tosses his cards in without a word. All eyes in the SPEAKEASY at on COL. MUSTARD and CAPT. SEAFOAM. BARON BRONZE glances back and forth with childish excitement.
CAPTAIN GREGORY SEAFOAM
"Five hundred."
CAPT. SEAFOAM places five hundred dollars on the table. COL. MUSTARD tosses his cards in and angrily stands up, kicking over his chair.
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
(growling)
"Damn!"
CAPTAIN GREGORY SEAFOAM
(gathering the pot)
"I thought a game with the honorable Colonel would leave me uneasy and challenged. I guess it's true what they say: never meet the legends."
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
(furiously)
"I gave my entire life away to serve my country and if you..."
CaPTAIN GREGORY SEAFOAM
(interrupting him)
"You joined because you thought your daddy was killed in the war. You joined because you had nowhere else to put your anger."
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
(barking)
"Fuck yourself."
9.
CAPTAIN GREGORY SEAFOAM
(smirking)
"General Martin Mustard was always war hero to you... So you made him a war hero to everyone you talked to who didn't know any better."
MONSIEUR ALPHONSE BRUNETTE
(slowly)
"Perhaps, you shouldn't..."
CAPTAIN GREGORY SEAFOAM
"Only he wasn't killed in the war. Papa Mustard killed himself due to his own failures. Terrible business. I'm sure your surrogate family had their reasons to lie to you and protect you from that angry beast inside. But goddamn... I would give anything to be a fly on the wall the day you learned the truth."
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
(growling)
"Careful, Captain. You are sailing treacherous waters."
CAPTAIN GREGORY SEAFOAM
"Does your anger come from the fact that you were lied to? Or is it because you gave away so many years of your life?"
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
(loudly; angrily)
"It comes from the fact that I have to constantly deal with people like you. Mind your own business and quit rattling the skeletons around in other people's fucking closets! One of these days I'm going to snap from all of this bullshit and I'm going to end up killing every fucking person around me. You've seen the hallucinations of foggy seas and lonely oceans, Captain. I've blacked out in combat and woken up with my knife slicing the enemy's throat."
10.
There is uncomfortable chatter in the SPEAKEASY. The BARTENDER quickly, sloppily pours four shots of whiskey for COL. MUSTARD, M. BRUNETTE, CAPT. SEAFOAM and BARON BRONZE.
BARTENDER
(defusing)
"We don't want any trouble, gentlemen..."
MONSIEUR ALPHONSE BRUNETTE
(breaking the silence)
"I really should be going. Gentlemen, it was a good game."
M. BRUNETTE downs his shot with a wince.
MONSIEUR ALPHONSE BRUNETTE
(coughing)
"Can't be too drunk for the train ride or I'll be vomiting out the window the whole way. Colonel, I'll see you in Connecticut, no?"
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
(narrowing his eyes)
"How the fuck do you know that?"
M. BRUNETTE looks at CAPT. SEAFOAM and BARON BRONZE hesitantly.
MONSIEUR ALPHONSE BRUNETTE
"Colonel, if you would share my train compartment, perhaps I can fully explain my connection to Hugh Black."
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
"I plan on sleeping the whole way."
MONSIEUR ALPHONSE BRUNETTE
(shrugging)
"Very well."
COL. MUSTARD stands up to leave the poker table. As he does, BARON BRONZE pulls a cloth-covered object from his coat pocket. M. BRUNETTE takes the cloth-covered object and quickly conceals it. CAPT. SEAFOAM rudely sticks out his hand. M. BRUNETTE pulls out his billfold and divides a sizable sum between CAPT. SEAFOAM and BARON BRONZE.
11.
COL. MUSTARD notices, says nothing, and continues towards the exit of the Speakeasy. He passes by two men guarding the entrance of the abandoned tunnel.
VON GATOW MAN #1
(mockingly)
"Lose all your money again, Colonel?"
EXT. BLACKWELL GRANGE - DAY
Puffy white clouds fill the sky above the stately, sprawling manor-house. From the tall attic gables to the 70-foot swimming pool, BLACKWELL GRANGE exudes elegance, luxury, wastefulness. The estate is located in a clearing in the middle of a thick, vast, dense forest. A narrow, gravel road, which winds up the mountainous forest, connects BLACKWELL GRANGE to the nearby village of Pratton, Connecticut.
INT. BLACKWELL GRANGE: KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
MRS. BLANCHE WHITE (68) carries a wicker basket full of white linens into the Kitchen and drops it on the wooden table in the center of the room. She begins to fold the linens and stack them neatly beside the basket. MR. REGINALD ASH (54) looks up from the stool he is sitting on. He puts down the silverware he is polishing and checks his pocket watch. He winds the timer and places it back in his vest pocket.
12.
MR. REGINALD ASH
(surprised)
"You haven't done the linens in years. Is Yvette slacking off again?"
MRS. BLANCHE WHITE
(folding the linens)
"She hasn't been herself lately. She won't talk to me about it either."
MR. REGINALD ASH
(shrugging)
"She's only a child."
MRS. BLANCHE WHITE
"She's nineteen years old, Reggie. She isn't a child."
MR. REGINALD ASH
"Well, if we are being technical, she's never been treated like a child. She's been folding the laundry, dusting the library, and shadowing the staff since she was ten."
MRS. BLANCHE WHITE
(stops folding)
"I'm not here to discuss the morally ambiguous choices and decisions of our employer."
MR. REGINALD ASH
"Then what is it that you would like me to do?"
MRS. BLANCHE WHITE
"Talk to her, Reggie. Maybe you can get through to her."
MR. REGINALD ASH
"Dr. Black has me running all over the house to prepare for the guests tomorrow night. Not to mention I have to run to the butcher's at forty-thirty. Then pick up Colonel Mustard and Madame Rose."
MRS. BLANCHE WHITE
"The Colonel is staying for family dinner?"
13.
MR. REGINALD ASH
"He's part of the family isn't he?"
MRS. BLANCHE WHITE
"Well, if you can find the time, try to talk to her."
MR. REGINALD ASH
"Maybe she prefers to be left alone. Maybe she doesn't want to be talked to."
MRS. BLANCHE WHITE
(frustrated)
"I'm not going to let that happen. Something is going on with that girl and I need to know what it is."
MR. REGINALD ASH
"I'm not trying to distract you from Yvette... but there is something else that you should know about before..."
MRS. BLANCHE WHITE
(impatiently)
"Get on with it, for heaven's sake!"
MR. REGINALD ASH
"Dr. Black has hiring security to make sure the guests don't wander off to places they shouldn't be."
MRS. BLANCHE WHITE
(struck with grief)
"Is he hiring Benjamin?"
MR. REGINALD ASH
(nodding)
"Sergeant Gray will be here tomorrow morning and won't be leaving until Monday after all the guests have left."
MRS. WHITE pulls a hip-flask of gin from her apron pocket and fumbles with the lid. Her hands are shaky as she brings the gin to her lips and swallows.
MR. REGINALD ASH
"I just wanted you to be prepared. I'm sure Dr. Black had no intention of warning you."
14.
MRS. BLANCHE WHITE
(taking a second drink)
"Thank you, Reggie. I... I..."
MR. REGINALD ASH
"One day, Blanche. One day, Sergeant Gray will know the truth."
MRS. WHITE breaks down in tears, taking a third gulp and tossing the empty flask to the tiles with a loud CLANK.
MRS. BLANCHE WHITE
(sniffling)
"If Dr. Black has anything to say about it, Benjamin will never ever know."
INT. BLACKWELL GRANGE: STUDY - CONTINUOUS
DR. HUGH BLACK (58) sits behind his desk holding a piece of paper. He has a very concentrated, stern look on his face. He is wearing a strong, musky cologne to cover the smell of whiskey on his breath.
YVETTE ARDOISE (19) stands by the doorway fidgeting with the strings on her apron. She is wearing a tight, low-cut maid's uniform made of material no thicker than a coat of paint.
DR. HUGH BLACK
(annoyed)
"What?"
YVETTE speaks in a French accent.
YVETTE
"I didn't say anything."
DR. HUGH BLACK
"No, but you are standing there like you are about to say something. Just say it so I can get back to what I'm doing."
15.
YVETTE
(hesitantly)
"I've been thinking a lot. Why did you take me in?"
DR. BLACK slams the piece of paper onto his desk and stands up. His fists are clenched in irritation. YVETTE jumps in freight at his outburst.
DR. HUGH BLACK
"Jesus, not this again."
YVETTE
"I've always had so many questions. After my mother..."
DR. HUGH BLACK
(cutting her off)
"Not all questions get answers. We can spend our entire life looking for the answers, but sometimes we just don't get one."
DR. BLACK stares out the STUDY window at the GAZEBO on the front lawn. He adjusts and tightens his tie.
DR. HUGH BLACK
"I obsessed over my older brother when I was a child. I never learned why he killed our nanny... or our mother."
YVETTE
"But..."
DR. HUGH BLACK
(interrupting)
"Every time I lingered on those thoughts, I truly believed I could change them. My life is my life and I've always been in control. Why should my brother's mental health be any different? No. It took years for me to learn that I'm not really in control. Just like my father wasn't really in control when he sat behind this desk."
YVETTE exhales in anger, not being able to speak. She looks around the room biting her lip. DR. BLACK chuckles, observing her annoyance. He continues on to spite her.
16.
DR. HUGH BLACK
"I obsessed over my sister, Rose. When my father sent her to the madhouse, I hated him. I still don't understand why he did it, but I've accepted it."
YVETTE
"I just want to know..."
DR. HUGH BLACK
(cutting her off)
"No! No, no no! You don't 'just get to know'! You will never get closure, Yvette. My nephew grows up without a mother or father and no one knows why they disappeared. I spent so much money, trying to find out where Samuel and Margaret went... sometimes the answers just aren't for us to know. I can't help you with the problems. Go bother Mrs. White, Frau Bloom, or Mr. Ash. If you don't want to talk to them, Rusty will be back from Ireland next week. I'm aware the two of you have developed an unexpected father-daughter relationship."
YVETTE's eyes fill up with tears, unnoticed by DR. BLACK who has since shifted his attention back to his desk. He sits back down without making eye contact or even glancing in her direction. She leaves the room with the gentle closing of the door.
DR. BLACK picks up the piece of paper and looks at it again. It is completely blank.
INT. BLACKWELL GRANGE: BILLIARD ROOM - CONTINUOUS
PROFESSOR VICTOR PLUM (61) leans over the billiard table and takes a shot with his cue-stick. He is playing a solo game of carom.
17.
PROFESSOR VICTOR PLUM
(talking to himself)
"... echoing the memories of the past could indicate similar behavior."
PROF. PLUM takes another shot and pockets the cue ball.
PROFESSOR VICTOR PLUM
(stomping his foot)
"Dammit! We need a proper table. This room is big enough for two... maybe three tables..."
NURSE AVA SILVER (36) enters the BILLIARD ROOM from outside through the French windows.
NURSE AVA SILVER
(meekly)
"I've locked up the family crypt with the lock you gave me."
NURSE SILVER hands a brass key to PROF. PLUM.
PROFESSOR VICTOR PLUM
"And my brother?"
NURSE AVA SILVER
"Dr. Black doesn't know it has been chained up."
PROFESSOR VICTOR PLUM
"I wasn't talking about Hugh."
NURSE SILVER is silent. She tentatively rolls a red ball around on the table.
NURSE AVA SILVER
"You know I don't talk to him. I don't like to. It makes him seem human..."
18.
PROFESSOR VICTOR PLUM
"He is human, Ava. And he'll be walking the halls of Blackwell Grange one day."
NURSE AVA SILVER
"He's not human... not anymore."
PROFESSOR VICTOR PLUM
"Tell that to Hugh. Tell him that you don't think there is a point to all of this."
NURSE AVA SILVER
"I'm scared, Victor."
NURSE SILVER shakes her head repeatedly.
PROFESSOR VICTOR PLUM
"You don't need to be afraid of him anymore. I won't let Hugh touch you."
NURSE AVA SILVER
"He's already touched me. I want him to pay for everything he's done... all the people he's hurt."
PROFESSOR VICTOR PLUM
(soothing her)
"He will. He will pay tooth and nail for every single thing he has done. For every woman that he's deceived. For every child that he's left fatherless..."
NURSE SILVER breaks down and wraps her arms around PROF. PLUM, crying into his shoulder.
PROFESSOR VICTOR PLUM
"I promise you, Hugh Black will suffer for every life he has ruined."
NURSE AVA SILVER
(sniffling)
"I want to believe you. But good doesn't always triumph over evil."
PROFESSOR VICTOR PLUM
"My dear, we aren't good. We never were. We are simply the lesser of two evils."
19.
INT. ARLINGTON hall: BLUE ROOM - EVENING
The only furniture that remains in the striped bedroom, is a canopy bed, a vanity with a mirror, and a dark mahogany wardrobe. Light dimly shines through the lace curtains, making sun-rays in the unsettled dust. The intimate master suite has seen movers, repo-men, bankers, and lawyers all day long, as evident by the footprints and boot scuffs all over the light blue carpet.
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK (48) sits at the vanity and looks at her dull, slightly wrinkled skin. Her beauty is fading slowly. She looks down at the surface of the vanity and opens a jewelry box that she kept hidden from the repo-men.
She takes out five wedding rings and lays them all out in front of her. She picks up the first one, a simple gold ring with one small ruby.
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
(whispering)
"Oh James, look what mess I've gotten your daughter into now. We're practically homeless... though I suppose that's the least of my sins."
MRS. PEACOCK closes her eyes, squeezing out a tear.
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
"I guess I've never been easy to please. I always chase after what I think will make me happy... I never realized that my idea of happiness is unreachable. What I want... What I truly want, is to go back in time. Twenty years ago, when Hugh Black broke my heart. I want him to feel as terrible as he made me feel. I wanted kids with him... I wanted a life with him..."
MRS. PEACOCK is fully crying and covering her face with her hands.
20.
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
"I wanted to be Mrs. Black... I still want to be Mrs. Black. Goddammit, I still love him!"
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"No, you don't."
MRS. PEACOCK spins around quickly to see MR. CLAY standing in her doorway. She tries to cover up her crying and pretends she hasn't been talking to a ghost.
MR. CLAY steps fully into the room and notices the rings on the vanity and the ruby one in MRS. PEACOCK's hand.
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
(sniffling)
"What are you doing here? Didn't you go to Vivienne's show?"
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"No, I decided to stay home."
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
"If you've come to seduce me, I'm not in the mood."
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"No, I stayed home because we need to talk."
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
(composing herself)
"About what?"
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"Vivienne and I are good for each other."
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
(cringing)
"How wonderful for the two of you."
21.
MR. EDWARD CLAY
(pausing)
"Patricia... we can't keep sneaking around anymore. It was wrong when the Senator was alive... but it feels even worse now that he's dead."
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
"You're afraid the public is going to catch wind of us and then you'll be in court beside me. Are you worried people will go around thinking I murdered my husband with the help of my hot, young boy-toy."
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"That's not it at all! I'm ready to be serious with Vivienne, and for that to happen we need to stop things. The thought of her finding out..."
MRS. PEACOCK laughs at him, putting her wedding rings back in the jewelry box.
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
"Really, Edward, you are a dreamer. That little head of yours is always filled with big dreams. Do you know how many boyfriends Vivienne had before she set her eyes on you?"
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"I don't care."
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
"Fourteen. And I guarantee every single one of them was between her legs within the first day. I'm sure someone at the opera house is nibbling on her thighs right now."
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"Patricia, we're done. I wanted to let you down easy, but you are being childish about this. I don't want to see you anymore."
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
"Isn't that what you like? A childish, bratty little bitch who always gets her way? That's who Vivienne is.
(MORE)
22.
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK (CONT'D)
Maybe I just need to act like her to get your attention again. Shall I sing a High C?"
MR. EDWARD CLAY
(rolling his eyes)
"Frankly it was getting a little old even when the Senator was alive..."
MRS. PEACOCK shoves him towards the door.
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
"Oh, of course... You're just saying that to hurt me. You loved every minute of it."
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"Vivienne and I are staying in Connecticut after the weekend. Dr. Black offered both of us jobs."
MRS. PEACOCK doesn't know what to say. She bites her lip angrily, staring into MR. CLAY's eyes.
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
(trying to compose herself)
"What are the terms of your employment with him?"
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"I will be his personal tennis coach. A job which you haven't been paying me..."
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
(through her teeth)
"And Vivienne?"
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"She will be singing for him at his parties."
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
(darkly, calmly)
"So she'll be his live-in escort... entertainment for the gentlemen guests."
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"You aren't going to ruin this for us. She knows what she is getting into and so do I."
23.
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
"You two will have better luck moving to South America and raising chickens than you ever will at Blackwell Grange."
MR. EDWARD CLAY
(turning to leave)
"I'll see you in the morning, Patricia. Bright and early for the train ride."
MRS. PATRICIA PEACOCK
(desperately)
"One last time? Just for fun?"
MR. EDWARD CLAY
"Good night, Patricia."
MR. CLAY exits the bedroom, closing the door firmly behind him.
MRS. PEACOCK looks down at the jewelry box in front of her. She starts cackle-laughing as she looks at her face in the reflection but she quickly begins to cry until the room is filled with the sound of sobbing and sniffling.
EXT. ABANDONED DOCKS - sunset
MR. THALLO GREEN (51) lights a cigar and pulls out his PISTOL in one swift motion. The orange dusk reflects off of the water onto MR. GREEN's pinstripe suit. A MAN is kneeling before MR. GREEN in the shadows on the edge of the dock. Two identical-twin-henchmen stand behind MR. GREEN.
MR. GREEN speaks in a Boston accent.
MR. THALLO GREEN
"Don't beg, don't ask for forgiveness. My uncle is a priest, not me. I don't do that shit."
MR. GREEN pauses to blow smoke out of his mouth.
24.
MR. THALLO GREEN
"Liquor ain't cheap. You were supposed to move four barrels. That isn't hard. The city is huge and the people are thirsty... not as thirsty as you are apparently. Fuck. I have to come up with all that money for Mr. O'Range or my ass ends up at the bottom of the water next to you."
The MAN holds up his hands and panics.
BANG
SPLASH
MR. GREEN pulls the trigger and sends the MAN into the water. The MAN sinks to the bottom as blood and bubbles rise from the bullet hole in his sternum.
HENCHMAN #1
"What now boss?"
HENCHMAN #2
"Do we contact O'Range?"
MR. THALLO GREEN
"Hold off on that for as long as you can. You boys stay here in the city. I'm going to pay an old friend a visit. He's having an engagement party this weekend."
INT. BLACKWELL GRANGE: LOUNGE - EVENING
DR. BLACK walks around the room with a bottle of sherry. PROF. PLUM and NURSE SILVER stand near the fireplace at the head of the room. MISS BRENDA DOVE (33) and FIVEL DOVE (8) sit together on one sofa. MADAME ROSE BLACK (60) sits on the other sofa.
MISS DOVE is fussing over the way FIVEL is sitting, fixing his tie. NURSE SILVER is tucked behind PROF. PLUM like a wallflower. MME ROSE sits forward in her chair, shuffling a deck of tarot cards on the coffee table.
25.
DR. HUGH BLACK
(pouring sherry)
"For my dear, older sister."
DR. BLACK hands her the sherry. MME ROSE sets down the deck of tarot cards and takes the glass of sherry with both of her bejeweled hands.
DR. HUGH BLACK
(to Rose)
"How was the train ride from New Orleans?"
MADAME ROSE BLACK
"Long and hot, like the transcontinental from Budapest to Istanbul."
DR. HUGH BLACK
"Ah, yes. We were stuck in Istanbul on our way to Cousin Percy's funeral. There was an accident on the tracks that caused a three day delay. Would you believe it if I told you that another death took place during that time?"
EVERYONE laughs politely at DR. BLACK story. MISS DOVE reaches a hand towards MME ROSE to get her attention.
MISS BRENDA DOVE
(loudly)
"It is so good to finally meet you, Rose. My sweet fiance has told me so much about you."
DR. BLACK hands MISS DOVE a glass of sherry. She takes it with a wide smile.
MADAME ROSE BLACK
(drinking her sherry)
"Really? There aren't many stories to tell. Hugh and Margaret were much closer than I was.
(MORE)
26.
MADAME ROSE BLACK (CONT'D)
I was always a bit of a loner. At any rate, my brother has hardly told me anything about you. In fact, I don't think I've heard the story of how the two of you met."
Dr. HUGH BLACK
"At the hospital before I retired."
PROF. PLUM gives NURSE SILVER a knowing look. NURSE SILVER looks down at the floor.
DR. HUGH BLACK
"Brenda used to sit at the fountain in the hospital's courtyard eating her lunch. I would walk by occasionally on the way to meetings with my lawyer. One day we both ran inside at the same time from the sudden rainy downpour. We just started talking. After that, we seemed to bump into each other everywhere. We had dinner a few times and then she introduced me to Fivel. We've been inseparable ever since."
MISS DOVE smiles brightly at MME ROSE, rustling FIVEL's curly blond hair.
MISS BRENDA DOVE
"I'm so happy my son is going to have a proper education and upbringing."
FIVEL
(excitedly)
"And I get to ride the horses whenever I want."
EVERYONE chuckles.
MADAME ROSE BLACK
"What luck that fate brought the three of you together."
The LOUNGE door opens and COL. MUSTARD enters the room out of breath, with a limp, and with shuffled clothing.
27.
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
(with entitlement)
"I hope you don't mind that I came a day early. Seeing as I was raised with this family, I thought I should make an appearance at the dinner."
Dr. HUGH BLACK
(enthusiastically)
"Michael, how wonderful to see you! Good Lord, you looks like you had a rough ride in."
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
(lying)
"Banged it into the door frame on the train getting out. Damn things keep getting smaller and smaller. Couldn't sleep well, either."
DR. HUGH BLACK
"Michael, you must meet my beautiful fiancee and my new stepson."
COL. MUSTARD takes MISS DOVES hand and kisses it gently.
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
"It's a pleasure."
COL. MUSTARD shakes FIVEL's hand firmly
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
"My, you've got a strong grip! You'll make a fine soldier one day."
MiSS BRENDA DOVE
(chuckling)
"Heavens, I hope not. Fivel is very smart for his age. I figure we'll have another 'Doctor Black' on our hands in a few years."
28.
COL. MUSTARD and MISS DOVE laugh at the joke. PROF. PLUM and NURSE SILVER exchange another knowing look.
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
(politely)
"Rose, you look as lovely as ever."
MADAME ROSE BLACK
"Are you still talking to Klaus?"
COL. MUSTARD's eyes widen.
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
"No, not as recently as I would have preferred..."
MADAME ROSE BLACK
"You will be staying through the week for the annual garden party, won't you?"
COLONEL MICHAEL MUSTARD
"Yes, of course. Despite the turbulent childhood experienced here, the gardens and garden parties always seemed to justify the malice."
DR. BLACK raises an eyebrow at COL. MUSTARD, noticing the strange way he is behaving and talking.
MISS BRENDA DOVE
(to Rose)
"Will you be staying next week, through the garden party, Rose?"
MADAME ROSE BLACK
"Hasn't my brother told you?"
DR. BLACK looks down at the floor.
MADAME ROSE BLACK
"I'm moving back into Blackwell Grange. I've come home until I die."
MR. ASH enters the room by opening both of the double doors. His eyes are wore-out and his posture is physically exhausted.
29.
MR. REGINALD ASH
"Dinner is served."
End of episode #1