inside it, and blue smoke, immediately ripped away by the WIND, starts to chug from the exhaust stack.
152 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE.
The lights come back on. HATCH SIGHS WITH RELIEF.
HATCH Hey . . . Pete.
He wants to apologize, and he wants PETER to help him with it a little, but PETER'S not in the mood. He walks away and looks at the bulletin board on the wall.
HATCH I was out of line.
PETER Yeah, way out.
PETER turns and gives LINOGE a look. LINOGE looks back at him, SMILING FAINTLY.
PETER
What are you looking at?
LINOGE doesn't reply, just goes on looking at PETER with that FAINT SMILE. PETER turns back to the bulletin board, troubled. HATCH looks at PETER, wishing he could take back his smart-ass comment.
153 EXTERIOR: THE STORE'S PORCH, WITH MIKE AND TESS.
TESS is wearing a parka, gloves, and a pair of high gum-rubber boots. Still, the WIND rocks her on her feet, and MIKE has to steady her before going to the display window on one side of the door.
Here, on either side of the window at the bottom, there are crank handles. MIKE grabs one, and TESS makes her way to the other. They crank as they talk (SHOUTING to be heard over the wind) 96
and lower the slatted wooden STORM SHUTTER over the glass.
MIKE Will you be all right? Because I can give you a lift TESS
It's the wrong direction! And I'm only six houses down ... as you well know. Don't baby me!
He nods and gives her a smile. They move to the window on the other side of the door and lower the other storm shutter.
TESS
Mike? Do you have any idea why he came here, or why he'd want to kill Martha?
MIKE No. Go on home, Tess. Make yourself a fire. I'll lock up.
They finish with the shutter and move to the steps. TESS winces and tightens her hood as another gust slams into them.
TESS
You mind him careful. We don't want him out and prowling around with this (lifts her chin into the blizzard) going on.
MIKE Don't worry.
She looks at him a moment longer and is reasonably comforted by what she sees. She nods and clumps down the snow-laden steps, holding tight to the railing as she goes. With her back to him, MIKE allows his face to show how worried he really is. Then he heads back inside and shuts the door. He turns the OPEN sign to CLOSED and pulls down the shade.
154 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE.
MIKE comes in, still stamping the snow off his boots, and looks around. HATCH has found a second flashlight and has set out some candles, as well. PETER is still studying the litter of notices on the bulletin board. MIKE goes over to the bulletin board, taking a paper from his back pocket.
MIKE Everything okay back here?
97
HATCH
Reasonably okay, but I can't raise the state police in Machias. I can't raise anybody.
MIKE Doesn't really surprise me.
He thumbtacks the scribbled duty roster to the bulletin board, where PETER immediately begins studying it. MIKE walks over to the desk and opens a bottom drawer.
MIKE (to HATCH)
You and Peter until eight, Kirk Freeman and Jack Carver from eight till midnight, Robbie Beals and Sonny Brautigan from midnight until four, Billy Soames and Johnny Harriman from four until eight tomorrow morning. After that, we'll figure some more.
MIKE finds a small attache case and a Polaroid camera. He takes them, shuts the drawer, and looks at the two men for comments. He gets only an awkward silence.
MIKE
You guys all right with this?
HATCH
(too hearty) Fine.
PETER Yeah, fine.
MIKE looks at them more closely and gets an idea of which way the wind is blowing. He opens the case we catch a glimpse of various items that might come in handy if you're a small-town police officer (big flashlight, bandages, first aid kit, etc.). He puts the Polaroid inside.
MIKE Stay alert. Both of you. Understand?
No reply. HATCH is embarrassed, PETER is sulky. MIKE looks back at LINOGE, who looks at him with that faint smile.
MIKE Later on we're going to have that talk you wanted, sir.
He closes the case and starts for the door. A HUGE GUST OF WIND hits the building, making it CREAK. Out back, something falls over with a CRASH. HATCH winces.
98
HATCH
What do we do with him if Robbie and Ursula decide to blow the town whistle and bring everybody in? We can't very well sit him in a corner of the town hall basement with a blanket and a cup of chowder.
MIKE I don't know. Stay right here with him, I guess.
PETER And blow away if he blows away?
MIKE
You want to go home, Pete?
PETER
No.
MIKE nods and leaves.
155 EXTERIOR: MARTHA CLARENDON'S HOUSE DUSK.
The Island Services vehicle comes out of the growing gloom, crunching through drifts and driving over fallen limbs in the street. It stops by MARTHA'S gate. MIKE gets out, carrying the little case, and goes up the walk. The storm is worse than ever; the GUSTS OF WIND push MIKE around. He struggles up the snow-laden porch steps.
156 EXTERIOR: THE PORCH, WITH MIKE DUSK.
He opens his case, takes out the flashlight and the cased Polaroid. He hangs the camera around his neck on its strap. The WIND MOANS. Branches CLACK against the porch. MIKE looks around, a little nervous, then returns his attention to the case. He takes out a roll of white adhesive tape and a Sharpie-type pen. Holding the flashlight (now turned on) between his chest and his arm, MIKE tears off a strip of the tape and puts it on MARTHA'S door. He uncaps the pen, thinks, then prints: "CRIME
SCENE DO NOT ENTER MICHAEL ANDERSON
CONSTABLE." Then he puts the roll of tape on his arm like a bracelet and opens the door.
He picks up MARTHA'S walker, holding the grips in his gloved hands, and sets it in the hall. Then he closes his case, picks it up, and steps inside himself.
157 INTERIOR: THE HALLWAY DARK.
99
MIKE puts his flashlight, turned on, in his coat pocket. The beam SHINES UPWARD at the ceiling.
MIKE himself is little more than a MOVING SHAPE in the dark as he readies the Polaroid and raises it to his face.
FLASH! and we see:
158 INTERIOR: MARTHA CLARENDON.
Her battered, bloody face. Just for a moment. Then it FADES. This picture and those that follow have the stark quality of crime-scene photos ... of evidence . . . which is just what they will be in a courtroom someday. Or so MIKE hopes.
159 INTERIOR: THE HALLWAY DARK.
MIKE turns, putting the first photo in his coat pocket, then triggers the Polaroid again.
FLASH! and we see:
160 INTERIOR: PICTURES ON THE HALLWAY WALL.
Boats at sea. The town dock in 1920. Old Fords chugging up Atlantic Street Hill in 1928. Girls having a picnic by the lighthouse. The pictures are stippled with BLOOD. Between them, on the wallpaper, are THICKER SPRAYS OF BLOOD. FADES.
161 INTERIOR: THE HALLWAY DARK.
The shape that is MIKE ANDERSON bends a little.
FLASH! and we see:
163 INTERIOR: THE HALLWAY DARK.
MIKE moves up the hall toward the living room.
164 INTERIOR: THE LIVING ROOM DARK.