The Centre (Miss Parker walks across the Main Concourse flanked by two sweepers. Raines and Mr Parker stop talking as they notice her approach. They notice that she is smiling smugly.) Mr Parker: You look like the cat that ate the rat. Parker: The hunt is over. (A figure, limp and held by the shoulders of his black leather jacket, is dragged into the room by Sam and another sweeper and dropped on the floor in front of Mr Parker and Raines. They look down to the where the man lies his face turned to one side. It is Jarod, unconscious and his face showing signs of having received a battering. ) Mr Raines: Outstanding. Mr Parker: Corner office time, Angel. Parker: Corner office? Daddy, I’m out of here. Mr Parker: You’re leaving the Centre? Parker: We had a deal. I bring back Jarod and I walk out on my own terms. (She is confused wavering between laughing at his joke or crying at his intention.) Daddy? Mr Parker: (He walks up to her and gently strokes her cheek.) This is just the beginning, Angel. (He winks and moves toward the elevator followed by Raines and his squeaking oxygen tank trolley. On the floor Jarod raises his upper body up onto his hands as if trying to do pushups. Miss Parker looks down at him, unhappy at the unwelcome news from her father. Jarod begins to laugh, almost hysterical but mostly mocking.) Jarod: Ha ha ha ha. Miss Parker’s Bedroom (Miss Parker wakes with a start. She is lying on her side, Thomas snuggled in close behind her. The room is bathed in early morning light. Thomas wakes also and leans up over her while gently stroking her bared upper arm.) Thomas: It’s okay. It’s okay. You’re awake. It’s over. (He lies back down and seems to ease back into sleep. Miss Parker remains tense.) Miss Parker: You’re wrong, it’ll never be over. Jacksonville, Florida Manny's Market (Jarod stands at the counter of a general store. Behind the counter an older woman, black framed glasses perched on the end of her nose, bundles up some money into a neat pile as a preliminary to counting it.) Jarod: You don’t owe me anything Mrs Artunian. Rita: Jarod, please call me Rita. Jarod: Rita. Rita: Where I come from people show gratitude. You saved my store from that extortionist who calls himself a landlord. I owe you. Me casa so casa (?). Jarod: Okay. (Jarod looks around, his attention finally falling on some "scratchies" - lottery tickets - hanging beside the counter.) Rita: Oh, you like lottery? Jarod: I’ve never actually played one before. Rita: Ah. Here. Take. (She rips one of them off a sheet.) Scratch. Enjoy. (She takes a coin from the register and places it on the counter.) Jarod: Thank-you. (He turns the lottery ticket over.) According to the odds your chances of winning the jackpot are one in thirteen million nine hundred and eighty-three thousand, eight hundred and sixteen. (She laughs.) That’s the same odds as getting hit by lighting in a submarine. Rita: Look, you bring me good luck. Maybe I do same for you. Jarod: Okay, I’ll give it a try. (He picks up the coin and begins to scratch at his lottery ticket while Rita counts the money in the till. A teenage boy enters the shop, looks around taking in Jarod and Rita at the counter. He turns back towards the front of the shop and intentionally knocks over one of the candy dispensers there. The candy hits and spread over the floor. Rita and Jarod move toward the scene and drop to their knees in an attempt to rein in the round and colourful spillage. Rita: Oh my . . . Jarod: (He looks up at the boy who watches but doesn't help.) Are you alright? Boy: I’m sorry. Jarod: It’s okay. Rita: Oh all over the floor… (While the adults are busy with the mess the boy steps up to the counter, leans over it and pushes the open drawer key on the very old cash register. The drawer opens and he takes out the bundle of notes that Rita had recently counted. He turns and runs out the door. Jarod notices his actions but is initially too stunned to react.) Jarod: Hey! Hey! (He gets up and runs to the door where the boy has left.) Come back here. (Outside. Boy runs around the side of the store to his bike. He climbs on and starts to make his escape. Meanwhile, Jarod runs out through the rear door of the store stands in the path of the bike.) Jarod: Hey! Hey! Boy: (The boy swerves to avoid hitting Jarod and crashes into bags of rubbish nearby.) Ah! Jarod: Are you alright? (Jarod picks up the bike and puts it on the ground behind him. The boy lies prone amongst the rubbish. He points a warning finger at the boy.) Stay right there. (He picks up the boy's backpack and starts going through the contents.) Boy: That’s my backpack. Jarod: (His hand comes out of the bag with cash.) And Mrs Artunian’s cash. What’s your name? Boy: Nonia. Jarod: Nonia? Boy: Yeah. None of your business. Jarod: (His hand has delved into the backpack again and found new "loot" in the form of a newspaper clipping.) You planning on taking a little train ride, Nonia? (The clipping is of an ad for Rail Ties. The city Atlanta is circled in red and the price of the "one-way trip" has been written in the same ink - $100.00.) Boy: I don’t have to tell you anything. You’re not a cop. (The boy picks up his bike.) Jarod: Let me give you some advice, (Jarod has found a wallet in the pack and opened it. There is a photograph of the boy standing between a couple on a boat. He turns the photo over and written on the back is written "DAD, DYLAN AND MOM CHRISTENING THE BOAT) . . . Dylan . . . (He examines the driver's licence in the wallet, the picture on it being the same of the man in the family snap) . . . Hale. The next time you want to pickpocket your dad’s wallet you might want to make sure that there’s some more cash in it. (He holds up the single one-dollar note in the wallet.) He looks like an okay guy. Boy: He’s a jerk. Most lawyers are. Jarod: (He looks in the boy’s bag.) Clothes. Toothbrush. Now I would bet my lottery tickets you were running away from home. Boy: Why do you care? Jarod: Because I was never lucky enough to have one. Boy: Well that makes two of us. Jarod: Look if you’re running away from your family take my advice. Don’t. Whatever the problem is you can work it out…together. Boy: Look, I’m going to Atlanta to live with my friends. It’s all the family I need. (Rita shows up on the scene.) Rita: That little thief. Boy: Are you going to let me go, or are you going to call the cops? Jarod: How about I take you home instead? (Dylan isn't sure but quickly realises that he doesn't have too many choices.) Marina (Jarod and the teenager walk along the edge of the mariner.) Jarod: Wow. You live on a boat? Dylan: Yeah. My dad moved into the harbour the harbour a few weeks ago, after he and my mum split up. Jarod: Where is she now? Dylan: London. She’s ah, setting up house, starting a new job. Look, I’m telling you, this is a waste of time. My dad’s at the firm. He’s always at the firm. There’s our boat over there. (He indicates a boat at the end of the pier.) Jarod: Hmm. Looks like somebody’s home. (They watch as a man, the same man in the picture with Dylan and his Mum, ducks down the hatch.) Dylan: I don’t believe it. Jarod: Is that your dad? Dylan: I can’t believe he’s home. He’s never home. (The boat erupts in a fireball of flame and debris. Jarod grabs Dylan and pulls him to ground.) OPENING CREDITS (A diver surfaces and yells up to the people waiting on the pier.) Diver: Nothing. (Another diver jumps in. Jarod watches and then movers towards where Dylan sits on a bench, his back to the water and the commotion. A plain-clothes officer is squatting in front of him.) Officer: So, you were saying about the boat? Dylan: Before my dad got busy with the firm we were fixing up the boat. There was thinners, paints, all kinds of stuff that could have blown up on board. Officer: Alright. We’re still trying to reach your mom overseas but until I’ll arrange for social services to put you up. Okay? (Dylan gives a small nod and the officer stands up and moves away. Jarod approaches him.) Jarod: There’s something you’re not telling him. Officer: Yeah. (He hands Jarod a piece of paper in a clear evidence bag.) Found this tacked up on the bulletin board. It’s Hale's writing. Jarod: (Jarod looks at the note briefly.) A suicide note. (He looks over to where Dylan sits, shoulders slumped.) Do you mind if I tell him? Officer: Alright. (The officer notices two men exiting a vehicle parked near the pier.) Excuse me. (He walks over to the two men. Jarod watches the exchange with interest.) Winston: I thought we had an agreement, detective. (Dylan hears the voice of the man and sits up straight.) I am always the first call. Officer: Look I didn’t realise that this guy was from your firm. Hoyt: What have we got? Officer: Divers are in the water. But with an explosion this size and these currents it could take forty-eight hours before they find Hale’s body. Winston: Make it thirty-six, okay? (Jarod watches as the man hands a envelope to the police officer which the officer quickly tucks into an inside pocket, looking around nervously to see if the exchange has been observed.) Now Hale has a son. Where is he? Officer: Well he’s sitting right over th . . . (The officer, the two men and Jarod look over to where he is pointing to see an empty bench.0 Hoyt: Find that kid. His father may have said something to him. Jarod: Oh no. (Jarod moves away quickly.) The Centre Sydney's Office (Sydney adjusts the blinds at a window. Behind him Broots stands in front of Mr Lyle.) Broots: Jarod was long gone by the time we got to his desert cabin but…um…this was in the desk drawer. (He throws a lined notepad on the desk. It is covered with the word "HOME" written in various font styles, block, italic, for example. Lyle picks it up and examines it.) Sydney: Subtext is rather obvious. Broots: Yeah. Lyle: Parker’s conclusion? Broots: Oh, well, uh… Sydney: (Sydney crosses over to stand by Broots in a display of support and solidarity.) Miss Parker was unable to accompany us on the trip. Lyle: Unable? Broots: She’s…uh…s…sick. Lyle: I realise that she’s cultivated other interests. (He drops the notepad on the desk.) Far be it from me to pass judgement on somebody consumed by their passion. But there are others who won’t be as forgiving as myself if she is unable to focus on her responsibilities. Miss Parker’s Residence (Miss Parker, wearing a bathrobe, her feet bare and her in disarray approaches the dining room of her home. She stops up short when she notices Thomas clearing dishes from the table.) Parker: You’re going to make someone a wonderful wife. Thomas: (He turns to face her.) You should see me with a vacuum. Why aren’t you dressed for work? Parker: (She steps up to him and makes him put the dishes back down on the table so that she can hold his hands.) Because it’s a beautiful day and I thought we’d grab some wine and go out to the… Thomas: Parker, you have to talk to your father. Parker: I know. Thomas: (He turns her so that he can wrap his arms around her and nuzzle her neck.) If we’re ever going to have a future together you’re gonna have to be honest with him. It’s the only way we can ever be free. Parker: I know. Thomas: I can’t live without you. I don’t want to even think about it, okay? (He kisses her cheek and then turns her to face him fro a more intimate kiss.) Train Station (Dylan stands at a payphone kiosk, his bag hung on the corner. He has the receiver to his ear but appears to be anxiously waiting for a response.) Announcer: All passengers on alert, the train will be departing in five minutes. Jarod: (Jarod steps up to him from the right.) You have to dial 011 first. (Dylan hangs up the receiver and turns away.) You were calling your mother, weren’t you? Dylan: (He turns angrily towards Jarod.) What do you want from me? Jarod: The police found a note. Dylan: What kind of note? Jarod: It was in your father’s handwriting. They don’t think that the explosion on your father’s boat was an accident. I’m really sorry. (Dylan turns and takes a few steps farther away from Jarod.) Here’s your father’s wallet. I thought you might like to have it. Dylan: Keep it! (He grabs his bag and starts to stride away.) Jarod: So you’re just going to run? Dylan: Yeah. Back to Atlanta where life made more sense. Jarod: Your mother is going to be coming soon. Dylan: They said she was away for the weekend. They keep trying to reach her. Look I can meet her in an Atlanta. I can’t go back to the police. They’ll put me in social services, or worse a foster home. Jarod: Dylan. I . . . I can’t leave you out here alone. Dylan: Where else can I go? (Jarod's expression shows that he has an idea.) Rita’s store (Rita follows Jarod and Dylan into an upstairs flat above her store.) Rita: He robs me and then begs to stay at my extra room. Dylan: (He throws his bag onto the bed.) I don’t even want to be here. Rita: Oh, and so polite. Jarod: You did say that I brought you good luck, didn’t you? Rita: Huh! Oh, it would be good to hear footsteps on these tired floorboards again. (Dylan sinks onto the bed, his shoulders drooping. Rita notices his pain.) I’m sorry about your father. Jarod: Dylan, are you alright? Dylan: (He sighs heavily.) Before I left this morning I told my dad that I hated him, that I wished that he would go away forever. Jarod: (Jarod goes and sits on the bed beside him.) We all say things that we don’t mean sometimes. Dylan: That’s the problem, I’m not sure that I didn’t. (He sniffs and rubs at his face with the back of his hand.) My dad was having an affair with some woman named Ashleigh. I heard him and mom fighting about it. He was always sneaking off to the payphone in the Marina to call her. He didn’t even try to deny it. Then mom left to set up the house and that’s when me and dad moved to the boat. Jarod: Dylan, who were the two men on the dock? Dylan: They’re from my dad’s law firm. The old guy is Edgar Hoyt. The other one’s name is Winston. He’s head of security. He’s a bad man, Jarod. Jarod: Why do you say that? Dylan: (The action is shown in flashback - Dylan watches the two men on the dock through a gap in the curtains on the boat.) About a month ago I heard arguing. And it was Winston and my dad on the dock. He was threatening him, telling him that he’d better not cross the firm and he had no idea how powerful they were and that he should do the right thing to protect his family. Then he slapped my dad in the face and walked away. I wish that he’d never started working at that place. Jarod: (Jarod holds up one of Peter Hale's business cards, which contains the address and phone numbers for Hoyt and Associates, Attorneys at Law.) I have to get on the inside. (He stands up and walks over to Rita.) Now what is it that a group of tax attorneys would fear the most? Rita: Same thing we all fear. Hoyt & Associates Building (Jarod, dressed in a business suit, wearing wire-framed glasses and carrying an attache case, walks across the foyer of a large building. A young woman accompanies him.) Secretary: The Internal Revenue Service. We’re all a little surprised by your visit. (Jarod looks up and notices the security camera taking in the movements of the people in the foyer.) Jarod: Well surprise is what we’re all about. After all we are the IRS. Very nice building. Secretary: We’re very proud of it. Outside Hoyt's Office Secretary: Mr Hoyt’s Office. He’s expecting you. Jarod: Thank you. (Jarod opens the door and enters the office to greet the two men, the same two who had paid off the detective at the mariner, who are standing there. Hoyt: Mr Tally. Welcome. (He shakes hands with Jarod.) Jarod: Mr Hoyt. I hope I’m not here at an inconvenient time? Hoyt: Well if I said you were, would you leave? Jarod: No, I guess I wouldn’t. Winston: We’re a very busy firm. Jarod: I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name. Hoyt: This is Mr Winston. He’s head of security. Jarod: As I told your assistant, the Service has discovered some irregularities in your previous year’s tax files. It’s nothing serious. We’ve just changed the limits on some deductable items and it’s thrown off your balance sheets. Winston: How long is this going to take? (He seems resigned to the situation.) Jarod: Well if I don’t find any unforeseeable problems I should be out of your hair in, oh, forty- eight hours. Hoyt: We’ve set up an office down the hall. If there’s anything I can do, you just ask. Jarod: I’ll do that. Mr Hoyt. (Jarod shakes his hand again but gives only a small nod in Winston's direction.) Mr Winston. (Jarod moves down the corridor to his office. As he passes the door which has Craig Winston’s name on it, he pays close attention to an electronic keypad, an obvious security measure. Jarod’s Office (Jarod, no ensconced in his own office, has removed his coat and examines the accounts, using calculator to check figures. He accesses computer files and looks up the accounts records for Peter Hale. However, the computer gives him a message of "Access denied". While continuing his pretend of an IRS inspector he makes surreptitious glances at a camera hidden in the air conditioning duct in the ceiling.) Craig Winston’s office (Winston sits behind his desk which faces a wall of television screens, all showing different black and white images of various locations within the building. He presses a button ‘Exec’ on a key pad in front of him and then all of the screens show an image of Jarod at his desk. He watches Jarod go through his paces. He seems far from happy at Jarod's presence.) Rita’s Place (Jarod and Rita look over to where Dylan is asleep on the bed, still fully clothed. The telephone is close to his hand, beside the pillow on the bed.) Jarod: Is there any word from his mother? Rita: No. I thought he’d wear out his finger from dialling, redialling. He’s keeping his chin up but his eyes can’t cover the pain. His father? Jarod: (Jarod sits down at his laptop.) I got the number off a payphone he used to call Ashleigh. Rita: The other woman. Jarod: Now Dylan said that he called her on his mother’s birthday. (He quickly accesses the phone records.) Phone company records show all the calls made from that location on that day. Rita: What…what are we looking for? Jarod: The one number that was called a lot on the previous days. (A single phone number that has been frequently called is highlighted.) That must be Ashleigh’s phone number. Now by running the number through a reverse directory we can find out exactly who this woman is. (On the screen, the name of Agent Matthew Ashley appears with his location as the Federal Bureau of Investigation.) Rita: So who’s the home wrecker? Jarod: (Jarod sits back in surprise.) There wasn’t one. Ashley wasn’t a woman. He was an agent with the FBI. Hale wasn’t having an affair. Dylan: (He pushes himself into a sitting position on the side of the bed.) Then why did my dad let my mum leave? Jarod: My guess is that he was trying to protect you. Pushing you and your mother away was the only way he knew how to keep you safe. Dylan: (Dylan stands up.) Protect us from what? Jarod: Let’s find out. (Jarod uses his cell phone to dial a number.) Agent Matthew Ashley, please. (There is a pause as Jarod listens. The others look on expectantly.) Excuse me? When? Oh? Well thank you anyway. (He hangs up.) Dylan: What’d they say? Jarod: Agent Ashley is dead. (Jarod is still shocked by the information.) He was killed in a traffic accident five days ago. (Jarod throughs a handful of id badges onto a bed and searches through until he finds one which names him as an agent of the Department of Justice. He clips it on his lapel.) FBI Office (Jarod is walking along a narrow passageway that has been formed by the temporary partitions that form mini-offices. He is striding out to keep up with a female agent who is carrying a bundle of files.) Agent: Ashley never said anything about working with the DOJ. Jarod: Ashley was investigating a local law firm the DOJ has its eye on. Now I propose that we marshal our forces. Agent 2: (Another agent appears from a cubicle on the agent's right.) Senator Meek’s office is on line two. Agent: (She turns back and thrusts the files at the surprised woman.) Call him back. Agent 2: He’s very unhappy. Agent: (She resumes her brisk walk.) Yeah, well that makes two of us. Jarod: It’s quite a zoo you’re running here. Agent: That’s what happens when one of your best people dies unexpectedly. (Another agent walks past her, handing her another bundle of files. She glances briefly at them and then sighs. She turns her focus back to Jarod.) Jarod: Is there any word on what caused the accident? Agent: There was road construction. Ashley lost control. It was a freak thing. Jarod: A freak thing? Agent: Ashley had an informant inside Hoyt and Associates. This informant was collecting evidence implicating the firm in the death of a key witness set to testify against one of their major clients. Jarod: Does this informant have a name? Agent: He refused to identify himself. Jarod: And the evidence? Agent: Ashley died before he received it. Now if you’ll excuse me. (She turns and walks away. Jarod looks thoughtful.) Hoyt and Associates (Hoyt and the ever-hovering Winston walk along a passageway near the elevator bank. Jarod approaches them, a file in hand.) Hoyt: Great. It’s great. Well I hope you find everything in order? Jarod: So far so good. (He hands the file to Hoyt.) Hoyt: Fast and sharp. A lethal combination. (Hoyt walks on and Jarod follows who is in turn followed by Winston.) Jarod: Well a corporation in Delaware kept me on retainer for several years. It was a scary place but I learnt a few things along the way. Oh, one more thing. I ran into a lot of references to work done by a man named Peter Hale. (They come to a halt outside Hoyt's office.) I tried to browse his expense reports but I was denied access. Winston: Well, certainly files are need-to-know only. Jarod: Well I need to know. Hoyt: I’ll arrange to have those files delivered immediately. Jarod: Very good. Winston: If you’ll excuse us. (Winston and Hoyt enter the office and close the door. Jarod watches the door closes and then quickly backtracks throwing a last look over his shoulder at the closed door before disappearing around a corner. He arrives eventually outside the office of Craig Winston. He examines the security pad, looks around before taking an electronic device out of his pocket. He attaches it to one of the locks and it decodes the security panel, unlocking the door. Jarod enters the office.) Winston’s Office (Jarod enters Winston's office where his attention is immediately drawn to the bank of security monitors. He examines these first before returning to Winston's desk and sitting behind it. He opens and closes a couple of drawers before he finds the control panel for the security system under the desk. He slides it out and examines the controls. He finds the button for Hoyt's office.) Jarod: Even the boss’s office. Why doesn’t that surprise me, Winston? (Jarod turns up the volume and is able to hear what Hoyt and Winston are talking about while watching them on the monitor.) Hoyt: I always do what’s polite. Winston: I don’t know I have a bad feeling about this. Hoyt: Craig you’re paranoid. Winston: Look, you pay me to be paranoid, okay? The last thing we need is somebody asking questions about Peter Hale. Hoyt: Hale is dead. Besides it wasn’t me that got us into this mess. It was you. Winston: Hey, I did what had to be done. (Jarod presses the "Zoom In" control on the panel.) Hoyt: I never suggested murder. Winston: If I hadn’t shut those people up De Paz would still be sitting in jail. Do you know what that would mean? Jarod: De Paz. (Jarod accesses Winston's computer and performs a search on De Paz. He finds the relevant files, places a floppy disk in the drive and type the instructions to copy the files.) Winston: How do you think the rest of the directors would react if they thought that Hoyt and Associates couldn’t handle a case like De Paz. Getting him out of jail was crucial to the firm’s survival and you know that. Jarod: Gotcha Winston: And you also know that a trial could have ruined us. Look I might have innocent blood on my hands but if I go down so do you. Don’t ever forget that. I’ll be in my office. (Jarod divides his attention between the Copy Indicator bar on the computer and the monitors that track Winston's progress towards his office. ) Jarod: Come on. Come on, come on. Come on, come on. Come on. (It looks like Winston is going to beat the Copy Indicator when an employee in the corridor stops him. He stops walking long enough to add his signature to a document that the woman is carrying and then continues his progress. He rounds the corridor to find Jarod knocking on the outside door of his office.) Jarod: Ah, Mr Winston I’ve been looking for you. Winston: Well here I am. Jarod: I found a few questionable entries in your expense account deductions and I thought, maybe, after lunch we could go over them. Winston: No we can’t. Jarod: I see. Well I would hate to bump these up to collections. I mean, after all a busy man like yourself; the last thing you would need is an audit. Winston: Are you threatening me, Mr Tally? Jarod: I don’t have to threaten, sir. After all I am the IRS. (Jarod turns and walks away. Winston's gaze follows him suspiciously and then turns to the security panel but all looks normal.) Outside Hoyt & Associates (Jarod leaves the building and checks to ensure that the disk on which he saved the files on De Paz is still safe. He fails to notice a man in a baseball cap, black jacket and cream pants watching him from behind a pillar.) The Centre Mr Parker's Office (Miss Parker enters the office to find not only his father there but her brother, Mr Lyle.) Mr Parker: Angel, you said it was urgent. What is it? Parker: Daddy, I’m leaving the Centre. Mr Lyle: Leaving? But this is your home. (Raines and Bridget emerge from behind her.) Mr Parker: It’s the only life you’ve ever known. Parker: The only life I’ve been allowed to know. Ever since I was a little girl all I wanted was to please you. After Momma died it was my sole reason to live. But I’m not that little girl anymore. And I won’t be needing this. (She takes her holster and pistol from behind her and places it gently on the desk, so gently that it almost seems like she is reluctant to give it up.) Mr Parker: Ah, this is about the carpenter, right. Parker: He’s name is Thomas. And this is about me. Daddy please, please give me your blessing. Bridget: That doesn’t seem fair. You agreed to stay here until you captured Jarod. Raines: Which hasn’t yet happened. Parker: (She turns to face them.) I’m entitled to a life. Lyle: Come on. Certainly an organisation as powerful as the Centre can replace one individual. (He looks at his father briefly and gives him a small wink, a wink that seems to go unnoticed by everyone else.) Mr Parker: This is much too important to be decided on whim. Parker: It’s not a whim. I know what I want. (She turns and leaves, giving Raines and Bridget a cold glare as she goes past them.) Raines: (He steps up closer to Mr Parker.) This is unacceptable. If you don’t stop her, I will. Mr Parker: Don’t you ever threaten my family. (He clenches his teeth.) Ever. Rita’s shop Dylan: My dad was a hero? (He is leaning over Jarod's shoulder, who is once again in front of his laptop.) Jarod: He was helping the FBI build a case against the firm. One of the clients was a drug dealer named Vincent De Paz. He was facing trial for murder. The State had an eyewitness. A woman named Molly Brophy. Three days before she was to testify… Dylan: They killed her. Jarod: I found these on the Internet. (On the screen are the types of newspaper articles that he usually stores in his red notebooks.) Dylan: Winston murdered these people to protect a client? Jarod: I think so. The trick now is to prove it. Dylan: That’s why my dad was so afraid. Jarod: He must have found out about the murders. Dylan, he was trying to do the right thing. Dylan: I miss him Jarod. I miss him so much. Jarod: (Jarod gives Dylan's shoulder a gentle, consoling squeeze.) I know you do. Outside Hoyt & Associates (Just prior to entering the building, Jarod senses he is being watched by the man in the baseball cap who has dropped his head as Jarod's gaze wanders in that direction. Jarod turns away from the door and the figure follows him. Jarod confronts him behind a pillar.) Jarod: Alright, what do you want? (He has the man by the lapels of his jacket. The face lifts up and Jarod gets to look his stalker in the eye.) Hale? You’re still alive! (Hale and Jarod have moved some distance away from the Hoyt building which can be seen towering behind them. Hale glances nervously over his shoulder at the building before turning to confront Jarod.) Hale: What have you done with my son? Jarod: Dylan is fine. He’s some place safe. Hale: I saw you leave the waterfront with him. You work for Hoyt and Winston. Where is Dylan? Jarod: My name is Jarod. I am trying to help you. Hale: Why should I believe you? Jarod: Because your son does. And right now he is scared and he is confused because he thinks his father is dead. Hale: You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. Jarod: I know about the cover up to protect De Paz. I know that Molly Brophy and her grand daughters and Agent Ashley were all murdered. Now you’d better talk to me Peter because right now I’m your last chance. Hale: I stumbled onto some irregularities in an unrelated case. When I realised what I found I contacted the FBI. Jarod: Agent Ashley. Hale: He had me collecting evidence so that the Feds could build a case, you know, bring down De Paz and the firm. And now he’s dead. He had a wife and child. Jarod: The FBI think his death was an accident. Hale: I met with Ashley that morning. I handed over the evidence on de Paz. The next thing I know Ashley’s dead and the files had disappeared. It was no accident. It was Winston. And I was next. Jarod: So you staged your own death. Hale: I panicked. (He turns his back on Jarod not wanting the stranger to see his fear.) Winston watches everything. He knows everything. I figured the only way out was if he thought I was dead. At least that would buy me the time to get Dylan away from here. Blowing up the boat was the best idea I could come up with. I sealed up the cabin, starting filling it with propane gas. I called Dylan’s school. I was going to have him meet me. But he wasn’t there. I started to worry that something might have already happened to him. I knew Winston was having me watched. Either way we stood a better chance if he thought I was dead. So I left the note, got back on board. I had rigged a flare gun in the cabin. I grabbed a scuba tank and slipped into the water. Jarod: So by the time Winston realised that there was no one on the boat you and Dylan would be safe with your wife in England? Hale: And when I saw you coming out of the firm I thought I’d had lost my boy for good. Jarod: Dylan thinks his father is dead. Hale: How ever did things get so bad between the two of us? But I did it to protect him. Do you think he’ll ever be able to forgive me? Jarod: Why don’t we ask him? (Jarod turns him around by his elbow and then with a reassuring hand in the middle of his back points him in the direction of his family.) Thomas’s House (Thomas is working on the interior of the home. He cuts some timber and then moves over to the frame of a wall to mark a spot on a beam with his pencil. He tucks the pencil behind his ear. Behind him there is the sound of a heavy bootstep on the timber floor. It is Mr Parker dressed like he is ready to tackle the great outdoors. Mr Parker takes a deep breath.) Mr Parker: Um, ah. Nothing like the smell of freshly cut wood. (Thomas turns at the sound of the voice.) What’s the spacing code on those for floor studs? Thomas: (He is momentarily dumbfounded by this development and can be seen to physically adjusting his thoughts.) Ah, two and a half feet. Mr Parker: Lot more than 18 inches. That’s bad economics. Thomas: It’ll double the life of the structure. That’s all I care about. Mr Parker: A man of integrity. Thomas: You, ah, you know something about carpentry? Mr Parker: I know a little about a lot of things. Thomas: Could you, uh, could you hand me a bonding clamp please? (Mr Parker looks around, spots Thomas's toolbox and looks in there. He seems at a loss to find what he is looking for. He picks up a couple of items, but shrugs and then clears his throat in embarrassment.) Mr Parker: I guess you’re wondering why I’m here. Thomas: She told you she wanted to leave. (It is Mr Parker's turn to be amazed.) Your daughter and I don’t keep secrets from each other. Mr Parker: Tools are old. You could use some new ones. Thomas: Can I help you with something Mr Parker? (Mr Parker takes a piece of paper out of an inside paper, gives it a brief glance and then hands it to Thomas.) A blank cheque? Mr Parker: Fill in any amount you want, we shake hands, get on with our lives. All of us. (Thomas rips up the cheque.) Thomas: I love your daughter Mr Parker. (He presses the pieces of paper into Mr Parker’s hand.) No amount of money in the world could ever change that. Above Rita’s shop (Jarod and Peter Hale enter the room.) Jarod: Dylan! Hale: Dylan! Where is he? You said he’d be here. (Rita appears from behind them. She is flustered and observably upset.) Rita: Oh Jarod. Thank God you came back. Jarod: Where’s Dylan? Rita: I tried to stop him, but he was so angry, so upset. He took my Arnold’s pistol. Hale: Where would he go? Jarod: He’s going after Winston. Outside Hoyt & Associates (Winston has exited the building and is walking across the concourse. An employee stops him. Dylan, hidden behind a pillar, aims the pistol at Winston. His hands shake in fear.) Jarod: Give me that. (Jarod steps up behind him, pushes the gun down and then takes it from his hand.) Dylan: You can’t stop me. Hale: (He steps out behind Jarod.) What about me? Dylan: Dad? (He hugs his father.) I thought you were dead. Hale: Oh, so did I when I thought that I wouldn’t see you again. I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry. Dylan: I saw the boat explode. Hale: I know. I know none of this makes sense to you but I promise that I will fix things so they can be the way they were. The way they should be. Dylan: With mum too? Hale: Especially with mum. Jarod: Come on you two. We still have a lot of work to do. The Sting Preparation (Rita turns the Open sign around on the front door of the shop, peering out through the glass. Inside the store Jarod looks through a small lens checking its functions. Upstairs he leans over a map, indicating key points on it as the others watch and listen. Back in the store he adjusts the television security monitor before positioning the miniature lens above a light fitting. Upstairs again, he takes a photograph of Peter Hale who holds a newspaper at chest level. Outside, Jarod approaches the car that is parked in the spot signed with Winston's name and pulls the phone aerial from the rear of it. He walks around to the front driver's side and places a device on the inside of the wheel. In Winston's darkened office, Jarod removes some items from Winston's desk drawer before leaving an envelope on the desktop.) Miss Parker’s Residence (Thomas sits at ease on the sofa. His legs are stretched out in front of him his shoeless feet resting on the coffee table in front of him, a coffee cup resting on his stomach. Miss Parker sits forward one leg tucked under her. She is not as relaxed as Thomas.) Parker: It doesn’t matter what I do, they’ll never let me go. Thomas: I don’t understand, you’re a grown woman. Certainly you can make your own decisions. Parker: It’s not that simple. (The doorbell sounds.) Thomas: Who could that be at this hour? (Miss Parker goes to the door and opens it. Mr Parker and Mr Lyle stand on the stoop.) Mr Parker: I hope we’re not interrupting anything Angel. Parker: No. We were…What are you doing here daddy? Lyle: We just dropped by to make sure you were alright. Parker: Alright? Mr Parker: Oh, to hell with it. I wanted to talk to you sweetheart. Do you mind if we come in? Parker: Sure. (She stands back so that they can enter, and then closes the door behind them.) Winston’s Office (Hoyt and Winston enter the office. Winston finds the envelope that Jarod has left for him. He opens it.) Winston: Son of a bitch. Hoyt: What’s wrong? Winston: Hale’s still alive. Hoyt: It’s impossible. This is some kind of a scam. Winston: Look at that paper he’s holding. (He passes the photograph to Hoyt.) That picture was taken today. According to this letter it was all a set up. Hale knows about Molly Brophe and the FBI agent. He wants money to go away. Hoyt: What else? Winston: He wants me to meet him in a parking lot. He says to come alone or he tells the FBI the whole story. (He crumples up the paper and throws it in anger on the floor.) Hoyt: What are you going to do? Winston: I’m going to meet him, alone. Then I’m going to kill that son of a bitch, once and for all. (He goes to his drawer, takes out a gun and checks the clip before slamming it back in place.) Parker’s house (Thomas stands behind the sofa. Mr Parker sits on it and Lyle takes up position on the arm of it.) Thomas: Are you sure that I can’t get anybody anything to drink? Mr Parker: No thank you, Thomas Parker: Daddy, you wanted to talk to me about something. Mr Parker: Ah, I am not young anymore… Parker: Daddy… Mr Parker: No no, let me finish. I’m a creature of habit. I don’t like change, that’s the way I am. But I’ve been thinking about you and your young friend here. And well I’ve been selfish. Parker: I don’t understand. Mr Lyle: The Yakuza have a saying that love and fear fly to heaven on the same wing which means the things we do because we love somebody are also the things we do because we’re afraid. Like when Dad tried to pay Thomas to go away. Parker: What? (She looks shocked and angry. She turns to Thomas.) Why didn’t tell me that? Thomas: Because it wasn’t a big deal. He just…he made an error in judgement, that’s all. Mr Parker: One of many, I’m afraid. Angel, I am terrified. Parker: Of what? Mr Parker: You’re all I have, you and your brother. You leave I lose probably the best part of me. But if you think that leaving is the best for you then, um, go with my blessing. Parker: (Miss Parker and Thomas are amazed.) Are you serious? Mr Parker: I just want you to be happy, that’s all I’ve ever wanted. (Her eyes slide to Lyle who smiles at her sweetly.) Well it’s late and, ah, we have to get up early so, ah, goodnight sweetheart. Thomas. Thomas: Yeah. Mr Lyle: Goodnight. (Thomas closes the door after they exit and then leans on it, exhausted. He turns back to Parker, smiling.) Thomas: Well congratulations Parker. It looks like you’re finally in control of your own life. How does it feel? Parker: (She laughs lightly, uncertainly.) Confusing. Thomas: I’ll bet. Listen I’m gonna go lock the back door. You shut off the lights, okay? Parker: Okay. (Thomas walks out and Miss Parker goes to the front door and engages the chain. She looks over to a side table and sees her gun sitting on it. She remembers placing the gun on her father’s desk earlier that day. She puts the gun in the drawer of the table quickly as she hears Thomas approaching. She looks with fear towards the back of the house.) The Sting (Winston steers his vehicle along the street, unknowingly falling into Jarod's trap. At the end of a darkened alley Jarod watches the approaching vehicle. He holds up a device and pushes a button. Winston's car swerves as the front driver's side tire gives off a popping sound and deflates. Winston manages to safely navigate the car to the curve. He gets out, looks around the fairly dark street before reaching into his car and pulling out the car phone. He listens but hears only some strange electronic noises.) Winston: Dammit. Dammit. Come on. (He throws the receiver back inside the vehicle in disgust. He straightens up and looks around. He realises that he has stopped outside an open convenience store. He enters it and walks up to the counter where Rita stands.) Rita: Good evening. How may I help you? Winston: You gotta a pay phone? Rita: It’s on the side of the store…but it’s broken. Winston: Look, I have a flat tyre and I’m late for a very important meeting so do you think I could use your phone? Rita: (She looks at him suspiciously.) A local call? Winston: Yes. Rita: This could be some kind of a trick. You might say it’s a local call then when the phone bill comes I see it’s long distance (He reaches into his pocket.) and I get stuck with the bill. Winston: This is a twenty-dollar bill, okay. So, now do you think I could use your phone? Rita: (She takes the bill off him and holds it up to the light checking its authenticity.) Make it snappy. (She reaches under the counter and grabs a handset which she places in front of him.) Winston: Thank you so much. (Two armed and balaclava'd men enter the store, one holding a shot gun, the other a pistol.) Jarod: Alright everybody freeze! This is a robbery. Hale: Alright lady come out from behind the counter. Rita: (She reaches under the counter and pulls out her own handgun. She aims it at the robbers.) No. Jarod: Don’t push me lady. Get out from behind the counter. Rita: You get out from my store. Jarod: Put the gun down lady. Winston: (He holds his hands up in the air in the classical gesture of surrender.) Are you crazy lady? Do what he says. Rita: Not while you rob my store. I fight or I die. Winston: No no. You’re not going to fight. You’re going to lose this one. Look put the gun down. Let these men walk away. Jarod: Do what he says. Put the gun down now. (The second assailant bumps into a display and one of the items falls to the floor with a crash frightening Rita. She pulls the trigger. Hale turns and fires at her. He doesn't miss. Rita falls to the ground behind the counter.) What the hell are you doing? Hale: I panicked. I’m sorry. Jarod: Go check on her. Winston: I didn’t see anything. Hale: (Hale stands up from behind the counter, holding a blood-smeared hand up.) Oh my God! I killed her. Jarod: You stupid idiot. Hale: I’m sorry man. Come on. Let’s get out of here. Jarod: Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Just let me think here for a second. Winston: (He looks down at his feet.) I didn’t see anything! Jarod: You’re so stupid. Alright, get over there! Get over there! Hale: (He starts moving in the indicated direction.) What are you doing? Jarod: You just killed someone you idiot. We can’t leave any witnesses. Winston: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You don’t have to kill me. I can help you with this. Jarod: What are you talking about? Winston: Well you’ve killed somebody. It’s no big deal. It was an accident. Jarod: What do you mean "it’s no big deal"? He just killed an old lady in cold blood. We could fry for this. Winston: No. No. No. You’re not going to fry for this. You do exactly what I say and you will walk. Listen to me. Listen to me. I work for one of the top law firms in the city, okay? Jarod: You’re a lawyer. I don’t like lawyers. (He raises the shotgun in preparation to fire.) Winston: No. No. I’m not a lawyer. I’m not a lawyer. I’m just like you, alright? Jarod: You are nothing like me. Now get down on your knees. You never killed nobody. Winston: (He falls to his knees, talking even faster now.) I did. I killed an old lady in a store just like this and I walked away. Please, please don’t kill me. Please. You gotta to believe me. Please. Jarod: (He stops yelling and talks in a conversational tone.) I believe you. You believe him? Hale: Yeah, I believe him. Winston: What the hell is this? Rita: (She stands up from behind the counter.) I believe you too. Dylan: (He steps out from the back room.) So do I. (His father grabs him and makes him stand behind him.) Jarod: You forgot one thing. You also killed her two granddaughters. And you killed a federal agent. Winston: Who the hell are you? Jarod: Somebody who is going to turn these tapes over to the FBI. (Jarod takes a remote control from him pocket and points it at the television monitor.) Tape One is a replay of the Surveillance tape that Jarod watched the first time he entered Winston's office. Winston: I may have innocent blood on my hands but if I go down so do you. Don’t ever forget that. (Jarod hits a button on the remote control.) Tape Two is a replay of the Winston's 'confession' that he just made under threat of death. Winston: I killed an old lady in a store just like this and I walked away. Please, please don’t kill me. Please. You gotta to believe me. Please. Jarod: Kind’v’a nice ring to it don’t you think. Winston: You’re a son of a bitch, you know that? Jarod: Oh relax. (Jarod tears a lottery ticket off the sheet hanging by the counter.) Hey, you never know. (He places the ticket in Winston's shirt pocket.) Today may be your lucky day. Marina (Peter and Dylan Hale lean on the fence looking out at the various yachts in the mariner. Peter points at one.) Hale: What you say, something like that? Or maybe a really big sail boat? Dylan: I don’t know dad. Maybe we should live on dry land for a while. You know, maybe like a little house. Hale: Maybe you’re right. (He rubs his hand playfully through Dylan's hair.) Jarod: At least you finished what you started. (He hands Peter a newspaper. The headline reads "Two fall for Series of Murders" blazoned above photographs of Winston and Hoyt.) Hale: I couldn’t have done any of it without you. Thankyou Jarod. Jarod: So what’s next? Hale: I try and put my family back together again. (He pulls Dylan in closer to his side.) Jarod: Well I think a missing part of that puzzle just pulled up. (Behind them a yellow cab has pulled up. A lady steps out of the back and runs towards them. Dylan meets her halfway. Peter turns to Jarod and smiles before following his son.) Dylan: Mom! (The three people hug.) (Rita runs up to Jarod, screeching in excitement. She is holding something in her hand.) Rita: Ah! Ah! Ah! Jarod: Rita, what’s wrong? Rita: It’s a miracle. Lightning just struck my submarine. (She holds out the ticket to Jarod who looks at it, turns to Rita and joins in her excitement and amazement. He drapes his arm over her shoulder and hugs her in excitement.) CLOSING CREDITS
