"Footprints"
Episode #03
Same Day as #02, Evening
TEASER
in Molly’s room at the Fisher house:
Molly is asleep on the bed. Sarah and Paula are in the doorway discussing the situation.
Sarah: Well, I talked to Brent again. He said that we certainly have a full-fledged case – two incidents, obviously aimed at Molly, within twelve hours.
Paula: I think it would be best for Molly to move in here. Don’t you?
Sarah: Definitely. I’m wondering if we should hire a bodyguard.
Paula: Excellent idea, Sarah.
Sarah: I just hope this stops soon. It’s already taken such a toll on her emotional state.
Sarah and Paula go downstairs. Molly opens her eyes and lifts her head off the bed.
Molly: It certainly has, Sarah.
A tear rolls down her cheek
in Tim’s car:
Tim is driving alone, talking to himself.
Tim: I can’t believe Claire never felt she could tell me all of this. She was kidnapped and raped by a boyfriend, her father has mob connections … What a painful life that must’ve been for her as a teenager. And not being able to tell anyone, fearing for her life all the time.
Tim sighs and refocuses on the road.
in a hospital room:
Courtney is halfheartedly watching the TV, laying in the bed. She is alone in the room
Courtney (sotto voce): I really cannot believe all this is happening. Jason, why did you have to drop me? (beat) Oh, it wasn’t your fault. Like Sandy said, these things happen. I just wish they didn’t have to happen to me.
Door opens a crack
Courtney: Who’s there?
at the ice rink:
Sandy is speaking to Shannon, another skater.
Sandy: Shannon, I believe I have a way for you to get into competition this year after all.
Shannon: Really? How?
Sandy: Just step into this room and I’ll tell you all about it.
They go into a room and shut the door. Fade into the door.
ACT I
in the Fisher kitchen:
Paula and Sarah are cooking when Bill walks into the room
Bill: Honey, I’m home!
Paula: Good! Now get out some lettuce and start chopping.
Bill: I go to work at the restaurant all day, and then I come home and do my job all over again.
Paula jokingly hits him with a spatula
Bill: You’re certainly in a good mood tonight. What’s going on?
Paula: Oh, after the little incident with the car earlier in the day, Molly was really shaken. But then she had a visitor, and that lifted her spirits. Unfortunately, he left—
Bill: He? Who is this guy?
Bill starts making a salad
Sarah: His name is Craig. He works at the company that Molly just got hired at. They met when they were both interviewing for the job she got.
Bill: So she beat him out, huh? (long beat) Well, it was nice to him to drop by. Anything to make her a little more cheery.
Paula: Once he left, though, we mentioned that it was so nice to have friends like that to help you through the hard times in your life. I guess that made her think of all this crazy business again, and she got pretty upset all over again.
Bill: It’s gotta be a hard time for her. There’s no denying that.
Sarah: I just hope we get some lab results from the analysts who were here before it’s too late.
inside a store:
Tim is paying for some items at the register
Clerk: Thank you for shopping at Value Barn. Have a nice day.
Tim: Thanks.
Tim walks outside the store onto the sidewalk
Tim (sotto voce): Oh great, where did I park?
Alan: I think that’s the least of your worries, buddy.
Alan steps out from the shadows
Tim: What?
Alan: I’ve got a little message for you, Tim.
in Courtney’s hospital room:
Courtney: Who is it?
Jason opens the door and walks in
Jason: Calm down. It’s only me. I brought you this.
He hands her a teddy bear
Courtney: Oh, thanks so much, Jason. That’s so sweet of you.
Jason: I wanted to come by and see how you felt.
Courtney: Well, besides this huge cast on my leg, I’m not doing too badly. How ‘bout you?
Jason: I feel awful about what happened. Because of me, you’re gonna have to put your career on hold, maybe forever.
Courtney: Jason, it’s not your fault. It really isn’t. Like Sandy said, these kind of things happen. (long beat) It’s too bad you’ll have to drop out of competition this year, too. I really feel bad about that.
Jason: Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.
Out on Courtney’s confusion
ACT II
at the ice skating rink:
Shannon and Sandy have just entered a conference room
Shannon: So what do you mean, you have a way for me to compete?
Sandy: Let’s just say an opportunity suddenly arose.
Shannon: But I thought there were no eligible partners for me in this area. And you know we can’t afford to fly someone in.
Sandy: Actually, I’m thinking about someone who’s right here in King’s Bay.
Shannon: Who is it?
Sandy: Jason Fisher.
Shannon: He skates with Courtney, though. What about her?
Sandy: They had an accident on the ice last night, and she broke her leg in a number of places.
Shannon: Is she gonna be out for long?
Sandy: She won’t be ready to compete until at least next year.
Shannon: Is she okay with it?
Sandy: I don’t know. Jason said he’ll tell her. But you should consider yourself a very lucky girl.
Shannon turns to leave the room
Shannon (sotto voce): Believe me, I do.
in Courtney’s hospital room:
Courtney: What did you want to talk to me about?
Jason: Well, it’s kinda … Um, Sandy said that I … Look, she wants me to compete with another partner this year. I feel terrible about this, leaving you lying here, but …
Courtney: You’re gonna skate with someone else?
Jason: Guess so. (beat) But when you’re back on the ice, I’m going right back to you. Don’t worry.
Courtney: How can you be so sure of that? What if … Well, what if you guys do really well? Then what?
Jason: I absolutely promise that I’ll run right back to you when you’re good and ready.
Courtney: Thank you, Jason. Thanks so much. I know you can’t just put your career on hold too.
Jason: Thanks for understanding. I mean, we’ve been best friends since third grade. I think this is one more thing we can get through together. After all, remember the big junior-high dance disaster?
Courtney: Oh yeah! I thought I was gonna die when Todd asked Emily to the dance. But you’re right, as broken down as I was then, we got through it.
Jason: And I expect nothing less from this situation.
They hug
outside the store:
Alan: I have a message for you from James Robbins.
Tim: My father-in-law?
Alan: Yep. He says you better watch what you say and what you do. If his daughter doesn’t wanna move to Chicago, then don’t make her.
Tim: Fine.
Alan: And you will not, under any circumstances, tell her about this little encounter. He doesn’t want her to know what he does to make life good for her.
Tim: He’s even more of a scum than I thought.
Alan: Oh yeah?
Tim: Yeah. And as for you—
Alan pulls out a gun and points it at Tim
Alan: Did you have something to say to me?
ACT III
at the ice rink:
Jason and Sandy are on the ice, standing by the boards
Sandy: You seem a little bit shaky tonight. Are you okay?
Jason: Yeah, I’m fine.
Sandy: I can tell you’re not. It’s this Courtney thing, isn’t it? Look, it’s done with. You can’t turn back time and fix what happened, so just try to accept it. You guys will be skating together again within a year. Meanwhile, though, I did manage to find you a temporary partner.
Jason: Who? Who is she?
Sandy: Her name is Shannon Parish—
Jason: What?!?
in the Fisher living room:
Bill and Paula are on the couch reading, Sarah is watching TV, and Molly is folding laundry
Molly: Sarah, do you think they’ll have the lab results tonight?
Sarah: I wouldn’t bet on it. That stuff could take days or even weeks.
Paula: But we don’t have that kind of time! My daughter’s safety is on the line here!
Telephone rings, Sarah answers it. One-way conversation.
Sarah: Hello? (beat) Speaking. (beat) Oh, good evening. (long beat) I see. Yes, I’ll explain it at once. Thanks for the call. (beat) Bye.
Sarah hangs up and Molly rushes over to her
Molly: Who was that? Was it from the—
Sarah: It was from the handwriting analyst. They’re done examining it.
Out on Molly’s anxiety
ACT IV
out on the streets:
Alan: So, Fisher, do you have something to say to me?
Tim: As a matter of fact, I do. Go ahead, shoot me. I don’t care. You and James are the scum of the earth – it’s people like you who—
Alan: Maybe I’ll just take you up on your offer and shoot you.
Tim: Go ahead. Eventually Claire will figure everything out, and her father will win nothing.
Out on Alan’s confusion
in Tim and Claire’s apartment:
Claire is eating when the phone rings. Two-way conversation.
Claire: Hello?
James: Hi, it’s Daddy.
Claire: Dad— Oh, you didn’t have to go through the trouble of calling. Tim and I are fine, and the baby is coming along perfectly—
James: That’s not what I want to talk about. I hear that you’re moving after my grandson is born?
Claire: Probably. Tim was offered a job, and he really wants to accept it.
James: But the question, do you wanna move? How much input have you had in this decision?
Claire: Well, actually …
James: What? You don’t wanna move?
Claire: Um …
Out on Claire’s nervousness
at the ice rink:
Sandy: Jason, what’s wrong? Shannon is a great skater—
Jason: Don’t worry. It’s nothing big. And I know she’s a great skater. It’s just that she and her old partner beat us a few years ago in the Coast championships, and it was so disappointing.
Sandy: As long as it’s nothing serious. (long beat) Well, I’d like you to skate with her tomorrow morning.
Jason: Fine. I can do that.
Sandy: I know you can. If I didn’t, I would already have said something.
Jason (thinking): Let’s just hope I don’t screw up her career too …
ACT V
in the Fisher living room:
Molly: They have results? Do they know who wrote it
Sarah: It’s not that simple, Molly. Not at all. And, since it was written on a car in lipstick, they can barely analyze it at all.
Molly: But there must be something they can do!
Sarah: Well, there weren’t any fingerprints, so …
Bill: You mean they can’t do anything about it? There must be—
Sarah: Believe me, Dad, there’s isn’t. We’ll just have to wait until something else happens.
Molly: What do you mean, something else? This can’t happen again, it can’t! It won’t happen again!
Out on Sarah’s pained expression and Bill and Paula’s sadness
at Tim and Claire’s:
Claire is on the phone with James. Two-way conversation in progress.
James: So you don’t want to move to Chicago?
Claire: I’m sure I’ll get used to it, Daddy. It’s fine, really.
James: No, Claire, it’s not. If you don’t want to move, then Tim can’t make you. Don’t worry – Daddy will take care of this for you.
Claire: Thanks, I guess. But really, it’s not a big deal.
James: When it comes to my little girl, everything’s a big deal. Talk to you later. Bye.
Claire: Bye.
She hangs up the phone
Claire (sotto voce): Oh, Daddy, please don’t do anything to hurt Tim. But I can’t let on that I know about your connections…
out on the streets:
Alan is holding a gun against Tim’s chest
Alan: What do you mean, she’ll find it out? She knows nothing of her father’s dirty little business dealings, and believe me, it’ll stay that way!
Tim: Fine, I give up. I’ll keep my mouth shut.
Alan retracts the gun
Alan: And you will not, under any circumstances, accept that job offer.
Tim: Hey, wait, you can’t stop me from—
Alan: Wanna bet?
Slow-motion. An explosion sounds, and Tim falls backwards.
END OF EPISODE #03