doubly poignant

{Manhattan Murder Mystery}

INT.  Restaurant - Night

MED. SHOT:  Ted, off in a corner lit only by a small lamp nearby on the counter; he's talking on the phone, his voice lowered slightly, with a faint urgency.

TED
I figured out how he killed her and made it look like a coronary.  He gagged her and tied her to the treadmill, and then he turned the exercise program up to the Olympic levels.

INT.  Lipton apartment bedroom - Night

Carol laughs at his farcical exaggeration:

CAROL
No, no.  You know, I mean, I just think this guy is too perky.  You know, I mean he's not acting like a man whose beloved of twenty-eight years died just a few days ago.

                                Larry battles the telephone cord, stretched from his night-table, across him, to Carol.

LARRY
Jesus, are you onto that?  My God, I thought you were just joking.

CAROL
(into the phone)
Yeah, I know.

LARRY
Let me speak to him, all right?

CAROL
What?  Oh.  Here.  Just a sec.  Here's Larr--

                              She hands the receiver to Larry.

LARRY
Hey, listen.  She was not murdered.  She... she had a heart attack.  It was a coronary.  There was a doctor there.  He said to -- he was an old man.

INT.  Restaurant - Night

CLOSE SHOT on Ted, drinking from a mug.

TED
How do you know it was a real doctor?

INT.  Lipton bedroom - Night

LARRY
I'm not going to touch that.  I'm tired.  I want to go to sleep.  Look...

INT.  Restaurant - Night

MED. SHOT:  Ted.

TED  
Wait-wait-wait a minute, wait a minute, put Carol back on, I called about something else.  Listen, I know a great location for a restaurant.

CUT.

EXT.  New York City - Day

A yard in the middle of old New York buildings.

Carol and Ted are walking around the space, looking.

TED
Hah, look at this.  Isn't this great?

CAROL
Well, it's dark.

TED
Aren't these walls great?  A cave, you know, like you have to go through a little cave.

CAROL
Oh, I see.

TED
And then you come out, to this space, here.

                               They walk.

CAROL
Oh, look at this, though.  It's really so beautiful.

TED
Yes.  Isn't it great?

CAROL
But... it's kind of out-of-the-way, for a restaurant, isn't it?

TED
No, no... that's the appeal.  That's just the appeal, because it's... it's, I mean it's so romantic... tucked away back in here like this.

                        The CAMERA leaves Carol and Ted in the middle of the yard and moves up and around to view the old buildings surrounding the space.

CAROL
(voice over)
Yeah.

TED
(voice over)
And, you don't want street traffic.  You want...

CAROL
(voice over)
No.

TED
(voice over)
You want a little out-of-the-way spot that people hear about and lovers go to.

CAROL
Yeah.

TED
(with delicious imagination)
It takes months to get a reservation, you know?  Very few tables.

CAROL
You know, you've really thought this out.

TED
Oh, well, I used to come here all the time with -- with Julie, when we were married.

CAROL
Uh huh.  Right.

                              CAMERA moves back to Carol and Ted.

TED
Used to walk around here.  Really beautiful at night.  It's gorgeous at night.

CAROL
It's beautiful, I bet.

TED
I used to think, "What am I doing here with Julie?  We don't love each other anymore," you know?  It made the moment doubly poignant.

INT.  Paul House's apartment - Night

He opens his front door to the corridor:

Larry and Carol are standing in the doorway; Carol is holding a large tray.

PAUL
Hi.  How are you?

CAROL
Hi, how are you?

PAUL
Oh, my...

CAROL
These are my floating islands.  I hope you like meringue.

                             Mr. House takes the tray from Carol's hands.

PAUL HOUSE
I love it.  Come on in, come on in.

CAROL
Well, okay.

PAUL
This is unbelievable.

                      Carol enters the apartment, followed by Larry.

CAROL
I know, it's just...

PAUL
Did you do it?

                       Larry closes the door behind him.

CAROL
I did do it.  Anyway, this has got... this is vanilla sauce here, and I put little chocolate truffles.

PAUL
Well, come on in.

CAROL
Do you like chocolate truffles?

PAUL
Would you share it with me?

LARRY
Oh, no.  She made these just for you.  This is...

CAROL
Oh, well...

                        They enter the living room.

PAUL
No, no, no, it's too much for one.  I'll make some coffee.  Please.

LARRY
They're only half a dozen.

CAROL
No, no, no.  Look, I'll make the coffee.  That'd be better.  Let me make it.

PAUL
Oh, you've already done so much.

CAROL
No, no.  I insist, I insist.  Go on, sit down, relax.
             
                                    She takes the tray back from Mr. House.

-30-