He jumps down from his chair, then pauses, looking at her dubiously.
RALPHIE
What about the storm? We've only got the car. It slides around in the snow.
MOLLY grabs his coat off the tree by the door and starts getting him into it at superspeed. That big, false smile never leaves her face.
MOLLY
Hey, it's only a quarter of a mile. And we'll come back with Daddy in the truck, because I bet he's going to close the market early. How's that? Sound good?
RALPHIE Yeah, excellent!
She zips his jacket up. As she does, we see she is terribly worried.
96 EXTERIOR: IN FRONT OF MARTHA CLARENDON'S HOUSE.
The storm is still getting worse by degrees; people are now having some trouble standing their 65
ground against the wind-driven snow . . . but no one has left. ROBBIE BEALS has joined MIKE and HATCH. His gun is still in his hand, but with the prisoner cuffed, he looks a little more at ease and has pointed the little pistol at the ground.
MIKE has opened the back of the Island Services vehicle. It has been outfitted to transport stray and sick animals. The floor is bare steel. There's a mesh barrier between this storage compartment and the backseat. Mounted on the wall is a plastic water reservoir with a tube.
HATCH You going to put him in there?
MIKE
Unless you want to sit in the backseat with him and baby-sit.
HATCH
(takes the point) Get in.
LINOGE doesn't, at least not immediately. He looks around at ROBBIE, instead. ROBBIE doesn't care for that.
LINOGE Remember what I said, Robbie: hell is repetition.
He smiles at ROBBIE. A private smile, like the one he gave MIKE. Then he gets into the back of the Island Services vehicle.
ROBBIE
(nervous) He talks a lot of nonsense. I think he's crazy LINOGE has to sit with his legs crossed and his head ducked, but this really doesn't seem to put him out in the least. He is still smiling, his handcuffed hands clasped in his lap, as MIKE swings the doors shut.
MIKE How does he know your name? Did you tell him?
ROBBIE
(drops his eyes)
I don't know. All I do know is that no sane person would want to kill Martha Clarendon. I'll come down to the store with you. Help you clear this up. We'll have to get in touch with the state police 66
MIKE
Robbie, I know this goes against your grain, but you have to let me handle this.
ROBBIE
(bristles)
I'm the town manager here, in case you forgot. I have a responsibility MIKE
So do I, and our responsibilities are clearly divided in the town charter. Right now Ursula needs you over at the town hall a lot more than I need you at the constable's. Come on, Hatch.
MIKE turns away from the furious town manager.
ROBBIE Listen here !
He starts to chase them up the side the Island Services vehicle, then realizes he's being undignified in front of a dozen of his constituents. MRS. KINGSBURY stands nearby, with her arm around the shoulders of a frightened-looking DAVEY HOPEWELL. Behind them, ROBERTA COIGN and her husband, DICK, look at ROBBIE with poker faces that can't quite mask their contempt.
ROBBIE stops chasing MIKE. He sticks his gun in his topcoat pocket.
ROBBIE
(still furious) You're getting too big for your britches, Anderson!
MIKE takes no notice. He opens the driver's side door of the Island Services vehicle. ROBBIE, seeing them about to make their getaway, fires the only other arrow in his quiver.
ROBBIE
And get the sign off that damned dummy on your porch! It's not funny!
MRS. KINGSBURY puts a hand over her mouth to hide a snicker. ROBBIE doesn't see probably lucky for her. The Island Services vehicle starts up, and its lights come on. It heads upstreet, bound for the market and the constable's office contained therein.
ROBBIE stands, slump-shouldered and fuming, then looks around at the cluster of people in the snowy street.
67
ROBBIE
What are you standing here for? Go on home! Show's over!
He stalks back to his Lincoln.
97 EXTERIOR: LOWER MAIN STREET, IN THE SNOW.
Headlights appear in the SCREAMING WHITE, and a car eventually materializes behind them. It's small, light, and two-wheel drive. It's going slow and slipping back and forth; already there are at least four inches of fresh snow on the road.
98 INTERIOR: THE CAR, WITH MOLLY AND RALPHIE.
Up ahead, we see lights looming out of the snow on the left, plus the long porch and the hanging lobster traps.
RALPHIE It's the store! Yay!
MOLLY
Yay is right.
She turns into the parking area in front. Now that she's here, MOLLY realizes that coming out was dangerous . . . but who could have guessed the snow would pile up so fast? She turns off the engine and allows herself a small slump over the wheel.
RALPHIE
Mom? You okay?
MOLLY Fine.
RALPHIE Get me out of my car seat, 'kay? I want to see Daddy!
MOLLY You bet.
68
She opens her door.
99 EXTERIOR: THE ISLAND SERVICES VEHICLE.
It turns left at the blinker and heads toward the market through the thickening snow.
100 INTERIOR: THE ISLAND SERVICES VEHICLE, WITH MIKE AND HATCH.
HATCH
What are we gonna do with him, Mike?
MIKE (sotto voce) Keep your voice down.
(HATCH looks guilty)
We'll have to call the state police barracks in Machias Robbie was right about that much but what are the chances they'll be able to take him off our hands in this?
HATCH looks doubtfully out the window at the pelting snow. This situation keeps complicating itself, and HATCH isn't a very complicated guy. They continue to talk in low voices, so LINOGE won't overhear.
MIKE
Robbie said the TV was on, and I heard it when we were in the hall. Did you?
HATCH At first, yeah. The weather. Then the guy must have . . .
He trails away, remembering.
HATCH
It was busted. Busted all to hell and gone. He didn't do it while we were in the hall, either. You bust a TV picture tube, it makes a noise, like Boof! We would have heard.
(MIKE nods) It must have been the radio . . .
It's almost a question. MIKE doesn't reply. Both of them know it wasn't the radio.
101 INTERIOR: LINOGE, IN THE ANIMAL TRANSPORT COMPARTMENT.
69
Smiling. We just see the tips of the fangs in his mouth. LINOGE knows what they know . . . and in spite of their low tones, he hears them.
102 EXTERIOR: ANGLE ON THE MARKET IN THE SNOW AFTERNOON.
The Island Services four-wheel drive rolls past the parking lot in the snow (the little car MOLLY
and RALPHIE came in is already wearing a
fresh coat) and then pulls into an alley that runs down the side of the store and around to the back.
103 EXTERIOR: THE ALLEY, FROM THE FAR END.
The Island Services vehicle comes toiling toward us out of the snow, HEADLIGHTS GLARING. THE
CAMERA PULLS BACK as it reaches the snowy yard at the rear. There is a loading dock at the back of the market, with a sign that says DELIVERIES ONLY GO THRU MARKET FOR CONSTABLE
BUSINESS. The vehicle pulls up here, backing into place. For this sort of deal, the dock is mighty convenient and MIKE and HATCH do have a delivery to make.