Shallow Grave - By John Hodge
SHALLOW GRAVE
by
John Hodge
INT. DAY
A blurred image forms on a white screen. A horizontal
strip of face, eyes motionless and unblinking.
DAVID
(voice-over)
Take trust, for instance, or
friendship: these are the
important things in life, the
things that matter, that help
you on your way. If you can't
trust your friends, well, what
then?
EXT. DAWN
A series of fast-cut static scenes of empty streets.
DAVID
(voice-over)
This could have been any city:
they're all the same.
A rapid, swerving track along deserted streets and
down narrow lanes and passageways. Accompanied by
soundtrack and credits.
The track ends outside a solid, fashionable Edinburgh
tenement.
INT. STAIRWELL. DAY
At the door of a flat on the third floor of the
tenement. The door is dark, heavy wood and on it is a
plastic card embossed with the names of three tenants.
They are Alex Law, David Stevens, and Juliet Miller.
A man climbs the stairs and reaches the door. He is
Cameron Clarke, thin and in his late twenties with a
blue anorak and lank, greasy hair. He is carrying an
awkwardly bulky plastic bag. Cameron gives the
doorbell an ineffectual ring and then stands back,
shifting nervously from foot to foot until the door
is answered.
CAMERON
Hello, I've come about the room.
Cameron enters and the door closes.
INT. LIVING ROOM. DAY
David, Alex, and Juliet sit in a line on the sofa
directly opposite Cameron, who shifts uneasily in
his armchair. Alex checks some items on a clipboard
before speaking.
ALEX
What's his name?
DAVID
I don't know -- Campbell or
something?
JULIET
Cameron.
ALEX
Cameron?
JULIET
Yes.
ALEX
(to Juliet)
Really?
CAMERON
That's right.
ALEX
(to Cameron)
What?
Cameron is not sure what to say.
ALEX
(continued)
Well, Cameron, are you comfortable?
CAMERON
Yes, thanks.
ALEX
Good. Well, you've seen the flat?
CAMERON
Yes.
ALEX
And you like it?
CAMERON
Oh, yes, it's great.
ALEX
Yes. It is, isn't it? We all
like it. And the room's nice
too, don't you think?
CAMERON
Yes.
ALEX
Spacious, quiet, bright, well
appointed, all that sort of stuff,
all that crap.
CAMERON
Well, yes.
ALEX
So tell me, Cameron, what on earth --
just tell me, because I want to know
-- what on earth could make you think
that we would want to share a flat
like this with someone like you?
INT. STAIRWELL. DAY
As Cameron plods slowly down the stairs, his shoes
striking out against the stone steps, Alex's criticisms
continue.
ALEX
(voice-over)
I mean, my first impression, and
they're rarely wrong, is that you
have none of the qualities that we
would normally seek in a prospective
flatmate. I'm talking here about
things like presence, charisma,
style and charm, and I don't think
we're being unreasonable. Take David
here, for instance: a chartered
accountant he may be, but at least
he tries hard. The point is, I don't
think you're even trying.
Cameron has reached the bottom of the stairs. He opens
the main door.
ALEX
(continued)
And, Cameron -- I mean this --
good luck!
Cameron leaves and the main door closes behind him.
ALEX
(continued)
Do you think he was upset?
INT. STAIRWELL. DAY
Inside the hall of the flat, David approaches the door to
open it. Freeze-frame.
ALEX
(voice-over)
David likes to keep spareshoelaces
in sorted pairs in a box marked,
not just shoelaces', but spare
shoelaces'.
David opens the door to the Woman.
WOMAN
I've come to see about the room.
INT. STAIRWELL. DAY
Outside the door of the flat a young Goth girl, aged about
twenty, rings the doorbell.
INT. HALL. DAY
Inside the hall of the flat Alex approaches the door to open
it. Freeze-frame.
JULIET
(voice-over)
Alex is a vegetarian. Do you know
why? Because he feels it provides
an interesting counterpoint to his
otherwise callous personality. It
doesn't. He thinks he's the man for
me. He isn't, though there was a
time when, well, there was a time
when...
Alex opens the door to the Goth.
GOTH
I've come about the room.
INT. STAIRWELL. DAY
At the door of the flat a Man aged about thrity-five rings
the bell.
INT. HALL. DAY
Inside the hall of the flat Juliet approaches the door to
open it. Freeze-frame.
DAVID
(voice-over)
Like one of those stupid posters --
you know, a gorilla cuddling a
hedgehog, caption love hurts --
that's what I think when I think
of Juliet.
Juliet opens the door to the Man.
MAN
I've come about the room.
INT. LIVING ROOM. DAY
In the living room each of the candidates is interviewed
individually with the same seating arrangements as before
(i.e. the trio on the sofa and the applicant on the chair).
What we see are briskly intercut excerpts from each of
these interviews. We do not get the responses to the
questions, although we may see some facial reaction.
All of David's questions are to the Woman.
All of Alex's questions are to the Goth.
All of Juliet's questions are to the Man.
DAVID
All right, just a few questions.
ALEX
I'd like to ask you about your
hobbies.
JULIET
Why do you want a room here?
DAVID
Do you smoke?
ALEX
When you slaughter a goat and
wrench its heart out with your bare
hands, do you then summon hellfire?
JULIET
I mean, what are you actually doing
here? What is the hidden agenda?
DAVID
Do a little freebasemaybe, from
time to time?
ALEX
Or maybe just phone out for a
pizza?
JULIET
Look, it's a fairly straightforward
question. You're either divorced or
you're not.
DAVID
OK, I'm going to play you just a
few seconds of this tape -- I'd like
you to name the song, the lead
singer and the three hit singles
subsequently recorded by him with
another band.
ALEX
When you get up in the morning,
how do you decide what shade of
black to wear?
JULIET
Now, let me get this straight. This
affair that you're not having, is
it not with a man or not with a
woman?
DAVID
Turning very briefly to the subject
of corporate finance -- no, this is
important. Leveraged buy-outs -- a
good thing or a bad thing?
ALEX
With which of the following figures
do you most closely identify: Joan
of Arc, Eva Braun or Marilyn
Monroe?
JULIET
It's just that you strike me as a
man trapped in a crisis of emotional
direction, afflicted by a
realization that the partner of your
dreams is, quite simply, just that.
DAVID
Did you ever kill a man?
ALEX
And when did anyone last say to
you these exact words: You are
the sunshine of my life'?
JULIET
OK, so A has left you, B is
ambivalent, you're still seeing C
but D is the one you yearn for.
What are we to make of this? If I
were you, I'd ditch the lot.
There's a lot more letters in the
alphabet of love.
DAVID
And what if I told you that I was
the antichrist?
INT. SQUASH COURT. EVENING
In a sports centre Juliet sits outside a glass-walled squash
court. She is ready to play, but at present is watching Alex
and David, who are inside the court.
INT. SQUASH COURT. EVENING
Inside the squash court, Alex is about to serve.
ALEX
Squash is often used as a metaphor
to represent a struggle for
personal domination.
DAVID
Serve.
ALEX
I was trying to educate you.
DAVID
Just serve.
ALEX
In the same fashion as chess.
DAVID
What?
ALEX
Chess. Chess is often used as well.
DAVID
Will you shut up and play.
ALEX
You're a bad loser.
DAVID
I haven't lost yet.
Alex serves.
INT. SQUASH COURT. EVENING
The squash-court door opens and David walks out past Juliet
as Alex stands behind, jabbing his finger at him.
ALEX
Defeat, defeat, defeat-- sporting,
personal, financial, professional,
sexual, everything. Next.
Juliet walks in and closes the door.
INT. SQUASH COURT. EVENING
Inside the squash court Alex is about to serve.
ALEX
Did you know --
JULIET
Just serve.
Alex serves.
INT. JULIET'S CAR (A MINI). NIGHT
Alex sits in the back, drinking.
Juliet is driving. David sits beside her.
ALEX
I wasn't trying to win.
There is no response from Juliet.
ALEX
(continued)
I don't want to devalue your
victory, but I just want you to
know: I wasn't trying to win.
DAVID
Victory is the same as defeat. It's
giving in to destructive competitive
urges.
ALEX
You learn that in your psychotherapy
group?
DAVID
Discussion group, Alex, discussion.
JULIET
I thought you stopped going.
ALEX
Yeah, he had one too many of thise
urges. You of all people should know
that.
Alex leans close to Juliet. Juliet brakes abruptly and,
as Alex flies forward, elbows him in the chest.
ALEX
(continued)
God, you two are sensitive. All I'm
doing is implying some sort of
sordid, ugly, sexual liason. Why,
I'd be proud of that sort of thing.
JULIET
Maybe you should go, Alex.You'll
meet someone wonderful.
ALEX
For my life? At a discussion group?
I think not.
JULIET
For the flat.
ALEX
No. Be someone else like him. One is
enough. And what happened to that
girl, that friend of yours, the one
that came round. I liked her. I
really felt we had something. She
could have moved in. We had
chemistry.
JULIET
She hated you --
ALEX
Well, she had problems --
JULIET
-- more than anyone she has ever
met. In her whole life.
ALEX
-- I'd be the first topoint that out.
In all kindness I would. But, like
they say, you know, she's got to want
to change, hasn't she?
INT. STAIRWELL. DAY
Outside the door of the flat Hugo rings the bell and
waits. Juliet opens the door. Hugo is in his early
thirties, tall, dark and bohemian in appearance.
JULIET
You must be Hugo.
HUGO
You must be Juliet.
JULIET
Would you like to come in?
HUGO
I'd be delighted.
Hugo walks in and Juliet closes the door quite
deliberately behind him.
INT. VACANT ROOM. DAY
Hugo looks around, pleased at what he sees, while Juliet
watches him. He sits on the edge of the bed.
HUGO
It's nice.
JULIET
Would you like to see the rest?
INT. LIVING ROOM. DAY
Hugo is seated on the sofa, Juliet sits opposite on an
armchair.
JULIET
What do you do?
HUGO
Well, I've been away for a bit,
travelling, that sort of thing, and
now I'm trying to write a novel.
JULIET
What's it about?
HUGO
A priest who dies.
JULIET
I see.
HUGO
Yeah. Well, maybe I'll change it.
JULIET
No.
HUGO
Yes, I mean, who wants to read about
another dead priest? It's about some
other guy, some guy who's not a
priest, who doesn't die. You see,
it's better already.
JULIET
Writing seems easy.
HUGO
It's a breeze.
The telephone begins to ring out in the hall. Juliet does
not move and at first says nothing. Hugo looks at her and
towards the door leading to the hall. After several rings,
Juliet speaks.
JULIET
Do you think you could answer that?
HUGO
The telephone?
It continues to ring.
JULIET
Yes, the telephone, but if it's for
me, I'm not in.
HUGO
You're not in.
JULIET
No.
HUGO
All right.
Hugo stands up. The ringing continues.
INT. HALL. DAY
Hugo lifts the phone. He turns to face Juliet and looks
her in the eye as he lies on her behalf.
HUGO
Hello. Yes. Who's calling please?
Well, I'm sorry, but she's not in
right now. I don't know. Would you
like to leave a message?
Hugo replaces the receiver.
HUGO
(continued)
It was some guy called Brian.
JULIET
Did he sound upset?
HUGO
A little bit. Is that good or bad?
JULIET
It's an improvement.
The telephone begins to ring again.
HUGO
Shall I answer it?
JULIET
No, just leave it. He knows I must
be at home. I'm working nights this
week.
The telephone continues to ring.
HUGO
Working nights?
JULIET
I'm a doctor.
HUGO
And he's a patient of yours?
JULIET
No. But he needs treatment.
HUGO
For what?
JULIET
A certain weakness.
HUGO
The human condition.
JULIET
You know about it?
HUGO
I write about it?
JULIET
And that's not the same thing?
HUGO
No, but like all novelists, I'm in
search of the self.
INT. KITCHEN. MORNING
Juliet, dressed and fatigued, sits at the table sipping a
coffee. Alex is also seated at the table, but wearing an
old dressing-gown and munching at cornflakes while he
reads a newspaper and talks at the same time. An array of
other papers is spread over the table.
ALEX
Has he tried down the back of the
fridge? I mean, that's where I
normally find things.
JULIET
He seemed like a nice guy, Alex.
Juliet gets up and leaves the kitchen. The soundof a bath
running is heard.
ALEX
I'm not saying he didn't seem like
a nice guy. All I'm saying is, it's
a bit strange, and this search for
the self, and what he's on about,
you know.
Alex hears the mail falling through the door and stands up
to leave the kitchen and get it.
JULIET
(calling from outside)
He didn't seem strange, Alex. He
seemed, you know --
INT. BATHROOM.MORNING.
Juliet watches the bath fill.
JULIET
...interesting.
INT. KITCHEN. MORNING
Alex considers her reply.
ALEX
Interesting. Interesting.
INT. HALL. MORNING
Alex is walking through the hall to the door,muttering
interesting' to himself. As he passes the phone starts to
ring. He stops and lifts it.
ALEX
Hello. No, she's not in. No. No. No. No ideas.
Alex replaces the reciever and walks on to the door.
JULIET
(from the bathroom)
Who was it?
ALEX
I don't know. He sounded Swedish.
Do you know any Swedish men? Maybe
it was just the emotion.
Alex picks up the mail and looks through it. As he does
so, David emerges from his room, dressed for work.
ALEX
(continued)
What do you think?
DAVID
About what?
ALEX
About this guy, this Hugo person.
DAVID
I don't have time.
ALEX
I'm only asking what you think.
DAVID
I don't have time to discuss it now.
I don't care so long as he's not a
freak.
David opens the door. Alex hands him an envelope.
ALEX
This is for you. It's your mother's
handwriting, so I didn't open it.
I don't like reading about your
father's constipation.
David snatches the letter and leaves, closing the door.
Alex walks back across the hall, opening one of the letters
and reading it quickly.
JULIET
(calling from the bathroom)
So we'll meet him, then?
ALEX
What? Oh, yeah, sure, if you want.
I tell you, every letter this guy
writes to you is the same: they all
begin like pure love and descend
into open pornography. I dream of
your thighs, the soft touch of your
white skin leading me in desire,
while I, aroused and inflamed --'
Juliet's hand and arm appear around the bathroom door. She
attempts to grab the letter. Alex plays at holding the
letter just beyond her reach.
ALEX
(continued)
Aroused and inflamed.
JULIET
Alex.
ALEX
He even signs them, in his own name,
can you believe it? I'd sign someone
else's name. I'd sign his name. If I
wrote them, that is. Which I don't.
INT. LIVING ROOM. EVENING
Alex, David, Juliet and Hugo sit round a table towards the
end of a meal. Alcohol has been consumed. Bowls containing
the last of the food sit on the table, being picked at
occassionally. Alex dispenses wine mainly into his own
glass, alternating with Macallan malt whisky, of which he
pours generous amounts.
ALEX
Interesting.
HUGO
I see.
ALEX
Yeah, well, that's what she said. Interesting. That's why you're here, you see.
DAVID
Normally I don't meet people, unless
I know them already.
HUGO
I see.
DAVID
People can be so cruel.
ALEX
So, uh...
HUGO
What?
ALEX
What?
HUGO
You were going to say something.
ALEX
What was I trying to say? Oh, yes,
I think, we think, or at least I
suppose we think -- am I right?
JULIET
Just get on with it, Alex.
DAVID
Keep it going, Alex. You're
unstoppable now.
ALEX
We think it's fine.
Alex starts eating again. The others watch him expectantly.
David coughs.
ALEX
(continued)
It's OK. There's no problem.
HUGO
You mean I can have the room?
ALEX
Well, that's what I said, isn't it?
DAVID
He made it clear.
ALEX
Why, thank you, David.
JULIET
Yes, you can have the room.
Alex pours yet more alcohol.
ALEX
I'm not usually drunk.
JULIET
Not usually this drunk.
DAVID
Only on expenses.
ALEX
It's true. A newspaper is paying for
all this. A newspaper...
With exaggerated scorn, Alex knocks over a glass of wine.
JULIET
In a moment he's going to tell he
could have been someone --
ALEX
It was you, Juliet, it was you --
JULIET
-- instead of what he is --
ALEX
What I am.
JULIET
-- which is --
ALEX
-- which is a hack.
JULIET
The man we know and love.
ALEX
A miserable, burnt-out, empty shell
of a --
Alex pauses, looks at his drink, then at Juliet.
ALEX
(continued)
Know and love?
JULIET
Yeah.
ALEX
I think you're lying.
JULIET
You're right.
ALEX
You see, they don't really know me.
JULIET
No, Alex, we don't really love you.
Alex smiles at Juliet and drinks again.
ALEX
Can you afford this place?
HUGO
Yeah.
Hugo reaches into his pocket and pulls out a thick bundle
of notes, which he places in front of Alex. Alex leans
over and sniffs the notes.
DAVID
Can I ask you a question?
HUGO
Certainly.
DAVID
Have you ever killed a man?
HUGO
No.
DAVID
Well, that's fair enough, then.
Alex raises his head.
ALEX
Certainly smells like the real
thing.
EXT. A STREET. NIGHT
At a cash dispenser a man in his thrities is taking out
some money.
A younger man, Andy, stands besdie him, looking around in
a mildly agitated fashion.
As the money emerges, Andy assaults and robs the man. He
starts by smashinf the victim's face repeatedly against the
cash dispenser until the Perspex is smeared with blood. When
he has final finished and the man lies on the ground, Andy
takes the money and the card from the slots, then gets into
a car which has pulled up alongside, driven by Tim.
INT. STAIRWELL. DAY
Hugo climbs the stairs, carrying two suitcases. He stops at
the door of the flat and looks at a bunch of keys before
selecting one, which he inserts in the door.
INT. HALL. DAY
Inside the flat. The door opens and Hugolifts his cases in,
kicking the door closed behind him.
INT. JULIET'S ROOM. DAY
Juliet sleeps, undisturbed by the closing of the door.
INT. HALL. DAY
Hugo walks across the halland disappears into his room.
INT. HUGO'S ROOM. DAY
Hugo unpackshis bags. Included in his things are a few
syringes and needles. All these he puts into the drawer
beside his bed. He checks inside a second bag.
INT. HALL. DAY
Hugo dails a number on the telephone and awaits a reply.
INT. JULIET'S ROOM. EVENING
Juliet is woken by her alarm clock. The time is five p.m.
INT. LIVING ROOM. NIGHT
Alex sits watching television, constantly changing channels.
Juliet walks in, wearing a dressing gown. She watches Alex
for a few moments.
JULIET
Have you seen Hugo?
ALEX
No. Any idea which channel he's on?
INT. HALL. MORNING
The telephone is ringing. Alex lifts up the reciever. Again
he is wearing his dressing gown and is on his way to pick
up the mail.
ALEX
No, she's not in.
Without waiting for any more, he replaces the reciever and
walks to the door, where he picks up the mail. On his way
back from the door, David emerges, ready to go to work.
ALEX
(continued)
Have you seen him?
DAVID
Alex, I don't have the time --
ALEX
Yes or no, yes or no, yes or --
DAVID
No.
David leaves, slamming the door.
INT. KITCHEN. MORNING
Alex returns to the kitchen, pausing only to knock at Hugo's
door, which elicits no response. In the kitchen Juliet sits
dressed for work, having just returned. He casually opens an
envelope and glances at both sides of the letter before
handing it to her.
ALEX
David hasn't seen him either.
JULIET
So I gathered.
ALEX
Maybe he didn't like us.
JULIET
David?
ALEX
Hugo.
JULIET
His car's still there.
ALEX
He's got a car?
JULIET
So what's wrong with that?
ALEX
What sort of car?
JULIET
Alex, how shouldI know? I'm just a
girl.
ALEX
I will ask you once more, what sort
of car --
JULIET
A blue one, OK. And it's still
there.
INT. HALL. NIGHT
We see the door to Hugo's room, then Alex rapping sharply
against it. David and Juliet stand behind him.
ALEX
Hugo. Hugo. Sorry about this, but
can you open the door? It's us,
Hugo, your flatmates and companions.
Your new-found friends. He's not in.
He's left and we'll probably never
see him again.
JULIET
Alex, the key is in the keyhole on
the other side.
ALEX
So?
JULIET
Open it.
ALEX
You want me to kick it open?
JULIET
Yes.
ALEX
Now?
JULIET
Yes.
ALEX
All right. No problem.
After several ineffective kicks at the door, Alex turns to
David.
ALEX
(continued)
You want a go?
INT. HUGO'S ROOM. NIGHT
Inside Hugo's room we see the door as David, outside, throws
himself against it. At the third attempt the lock gives way
and the door bursts open.
In the foreground at one side is the bed with a naked foot
lying still and exposed.
When the door is open, David is first in, followed by the
other two. There is a period of silent shock as they
contemplate Hugo's naked corpse. Alex opens a window.
DAVID
Is this what they always look like?
JULIET
Yes.
Juliet drapes a sheet over the body, covering it completely.
ALEX
I wonder how he did it?
JULIET
Did what?
ALEX
I wonder how he killed himself. I
presume that that's what happened.
What do you think?
Quite casually, Alex begins to open drawers and cupboards,
emptying the contents on to the floor.
JULIET
Alex.
ALEX
What? What's wrong?
JULIET
What are you doing?
ALEX
I'm just looking.
JULIET
Don't.
ALEX
Don't look?
JULIET
No.
ALEX
Why not? What's wrong, Juliet?
Aren't you curious? Don't you wonder
what he died from?
JULIET
No.The guy's dead.What more do you need?
ALEX
It's not every day I find a story
in my own flat.
JULIET
Thats not a story, Alex. It's a
corpse.
ALEX
Old newspaper proverb says dead
human being is living story. Be
rational, please, and failing that
be quiet.
In a drawer in a bedside cabinet, Alex finds needles,
syringes and a small bag of powder. Without comment, he
holds it up and throws it on the bed.
He reaches under the bed and pulls out a case, which he
opens. It is empty and he pushes it back under.
DAVID
I've never seen a dead body before.
JULIET
Alex, I think it's time for you to
stop.
Alex continues to search. Juliet walks out.
INT. HALL. NIGHT
Juliet stands alone.
INT. HUGO'S ROOM. NIGHT
Alex continues his brisk search through Hugo's posesseions
while David looks on, appalled but speechless.
INT. HALL. NIGHT
Juliet listens to the sounds from the bedroom, then picks
up the telephone. She dials 999 and waits for a reply. It
rings and rings.
INT. HUGO'S ROOM. NIGHT
Alex has found and opened a large Gladstone bag. Neither
David norwe can see into it.
DAVID
I saw my grandmother, of course,
but I don't suppose that counts. I
mean, she was alive at the time.
ALEX
Can I show you something?
INT. HALL. NIGHT
Juliet awaits an answer.
Alex approaches Juliet with the open bag. She turns around
and looks into it, then, seeing the contents, she replaces
the receiver. As she does so, the Operator's voice is
audible for a second.
OPERATOR
Hello, emergency services.
The telephone hits the cradle.
INT. KITCHEN. NIGHT
David, Alex and Juliet are seated in silence around the
table. The bag, stacked with money, lies open on the table.
DAVID
No.
ALEX
Think about it.
DAVID
No.
ALEX
Come on, David.
DAVID
No.
ALEX
Juliet?
JULIET
No, Alex. It's, it's --
ALEX
What?
JULIET
Unfeasible.
ALEX
Is that all?
DAVID
You mean immoral.
ALEX
I'm only asking you both to think
about it.
DAVID
It's asick idea, Alex. It's sick.
ALEX
But don't tell me that you're not
tempted by it. Don't tell me that
you're not interested. I know you
well enough.
DAVID
You think so?
ALEX
(amused)
All right, then, go ahead,
telephone. Telephone the police. Try
again. No one's going to stand in
your way. Go ahead. Tell them
there's a suitcase of money and you
don't want it.
INT. HALL. MORNING
The flat is silent. Footsteps are heard outside the door
and mail falls through the letter box.
INT. LIVING ROOM. DAY
The living room, empty.
INT. KITCHEN. DAY
The kitchen, empty. The bag of money still sits on the table.
INT. HUGO'S BEDROOM. DAY
His corpse lies on the bed, covered as before, incompletely,
by a sheet, with parts of his body still showing (a foot, a
hand, part of his face or abdomen).
INT. NEWSPAPER OFFICE. DAY
The open-plan office of a busy newspaper. Alex sits at his
desk. He is talking on a telephone jammed against his
shoulder and while he does so he is casually acknowledging
and waving at colleagues.
ALEX
Now, was there a pet in the house?
Yes, a pet, like a dog or a budgie
or a gerbil. You see, what I need
is PC Plod rescues Harry the Hamster
from House of Horror'. All right...
well, that's a pity, you see, no
pets, no human angle.
Alex hangs up.
INT. HUGO'S ROOM. DAY
Another view of the body: for example, from above.
INT. HOSPITAL. DAY
In the accident and emeregency department of a busy hospital,
Juliet sifts through a setof casenotes. Another Doctor
approaches her.
DOCTOR
Hi, there.
Juliet does not look up.
JULIET
Hello.
DOCTOR
What happened to that guy?
JULIET
What guy?
DOCTOR
That guy, the one that died.
Juliet looks up.
JULIET
What guy that died?
DOCTOR
That one, last week.
JULIET
Here?.
DOCTOR
Yeah, here, I mean, where else?
JULIET
Oh, him. Well, he died.
DOCTOR
(satisfied)
That's what I thought.
INT. HUGO'S ROOM. DAY
The body, stillpresent, exposed and motionless. The curtain flutters by the open window.
TO BE CONTINUED...
