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In Whom We Trust by Christopher Harmason
EXT. SUBURB HOME. DAY.
DARRIN dumps a bag of coals into a grill. He mops his brow.
From around the corner of the house comes his daughter,
OLIVIA, eager to play. DARRIN cleans his hands, and kisses
OLIVIA on the nose. She giggles. They play with a beach
ball, ending with DARRIN tickling OLIVIA into a laughing
fit.
DARRIN Honey, give
daddy a second while he preps the
grill, don't get too close. You
play with the ball until I get
through.
OLIVIA's giggling fills the air as DARRIN lights the
charcoal. Soon the sound of DARRIN working at the grill is
the only thing heard. OLIVIA has become strangely silent,
except for the sound of a ball slowly bouncing lower and
lower.
DARRIN
You alright, honey? Got the fire
going so we can play until it's
time to eat...
DARRIN's heart sinks as he sees a barely bouncing ball where
OLIVIA was standing.
INT. HOSPITAL. DAY.
DARRIN busts through the door of the Emergency room of the
hospital. A limp OLIVIA is in his arms.
DARRIN
Help! Somebody help me!
Hospital staff rush to DARRIN with a gurney and he gently
sets OLIVIA down onto it. As the staff move OLIVIA down the
hall, DARRIN and a NURSE square off on either side of
OLIVIA's gurney.
DARRIN
What do you need me to do?
NURSE
Wait here, we need to examine, now
what did...
DARRIN
I'm going with her.
NURSE
Normally we don't allow...
DARRIN
I'm not asking!
DARRIN and OLIVIA disappear behind hospital double doors.
INT. DARRIN'S HOUSE. NIGHT.
The house is lonely and foreboding. MARIA, DARRIN's wife,
sits nursing a bottle of wine while flipping through an
album of wedding pictures. Her cell phone rings, breaking
the silence.
MARIA
Yeah?
DARRIN
Hi, honey, it's me.
MARIA
What happened,? I thought you were
off and going to spend the day home
with OLIVIA since I had to work?
Sounds from the attic, and then the kitchen make MARIA cover
the receiver of the phone. Out walks MARK, her co-worker,
shirtless, and carrying a wine glass and a wine bottle.
MARIA motions for him to sit and be quiet.
DARRIN
I'm still waiting to find out
what's wrong, but...Olivia's hurt.
I got her to the hospital as fast
as I could.
MARIA
What did you do?
DARRIN
Me? I didn't do anything. I just
played with her and set the grill
up, and...
MARIA
And?
DARRIN
And after that, I don't know. I
brought her to the hospital. All I
know is that she's hurt, and I
could almost feel it. I called in
to work and I'm staying overnight.
Wanted to give you a heads up so
you could be here.
MARIA
I'm on my way
MARIA hangs up the phone, and brushes off MARK.
MARIA
What do you think you're doing?
MARK
Thought I'd ease your troubles.
You've been down for so long I
thought I'd...
MARIA
Kick me?
MARK
You don't think I'm trying to take
advantage of you?
MARIA
Only if I let you. You have the
worst timing. And what were you
doing in the attic?
MARK
You sound upset?
MARIA
An emergency hits, and you make a
pass at me, while I'm looking at
wedding photos no less.
MARK
An emergency? What do you need me
to do?
MARIA
Put a shirt on, and go home.
MARIA closes the photo album, down her last gulp of wine,
and grabs her keys.
EXT. SUBURB HOME. MORNING.
DARRIN waits in front of his house. A car pulls up. DR.
MORRIS, and DETECTIVE FRIPPE get out of the vehicle.
DETECTIVE FRIPPE greets DARRIN warmly.
DETECTIVE FRIPPE
This is Dr. Morris, a man who you
can trust.
DR. MORRIS seems looks DARRIN up and down.
DETECTIVE FRIPPE
You haven't been in the
neighborhood long, have you?
DARRIN
No. We only moved in a few months
ago.
DETECTIVE FRIPPE
How many, just you, and you're
daughter?
DARRIN
And my wife.
DETECTIVE FRIPPE
Strange. The woman listed at this
address has a different last name.
DARRIN
She kept her name. if you look our
daughter has both of ours.
DR. MORRIS
This house, is there an attic?
DARRIN
Yes, why?
DR. MORRIS
Any work done on it, any place with
holes or anything that she could
crawl into, or someone could hide
something in maybe?
DARRIN
We broke a wall down for more
space...what does that have to do
with what's going on?
DR. MORRIS
We found traces of fiberglass and
some illegal substances in your
daughter's system.
DETECTIVE FRIPPE
Let's see this attic.
INT. DARRIN'S HOUSE. DAY.
DARRIN, DR. MORRIS, and DETECTIVE FRIPPE stand in the attic.
Everyone searches for anything unusual.
DARRIN
Could I get you guys something to
drink?
DETECTIVE FRIPPE
I could some water?
DR. MORRIS
I'll have some as well.
DARRIN turns to heads down out of the attic, when he notices
an odd spot in part of the wall. He kneels, and finds a pack
of pills and needles.
DETECTIVE FRIPPE
You find something, Darrin?
DARRIN
No, just thinking about the work I
need to finish. I'll get you that
water.
DARRIN carefully pockets the needles and pill packs and
heads to the kitchen.
©2009 United States Copyright Christopher Harmason
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