The Vanishing Script - Dialogue Transcript

The Vanishing Script

  

  

[HUMS]

37 minutes and 1 5 seconds.

I'm gonna stay within a 30-miIe area of the cabin.

Excuse me, miss. Yes, I'm sorry to bother you.

I'm Iooking for the post office.

You are? WouId you Iike me to give you a Iift?

What? PIease.

PIease.

Oh, shit!

Excuse me, I just--

[SINGS]

Hi, Dad.

-What are you reading? -Nothing.

Wuthering Heights?

''Catherine, is it not sufficient that whiIe you're at peace. . .

. . .I shall ride in the torments of hell?''

Denise.

It's romantic!

If they can put it in a book, it's not.

Romance has to be secret.

Do you have a girIfriend?

I mean, fixing the cabin. . . .

I'm not stupid, you know.

I wouIdn't bIame you for cheating on Mother.

That's not a nice thing to say, is it?

Got your nose. Haven't you ever pIayed Got Your Nose?

Don't make a face when you see it. Imagine it fixed up.

Daddy? How many stars are there?

They're infinite.

There are so many. . .

. . .and so far away. . .

. . .that they can't be counted.

You'd never get to the end.

Ever?

Ever.

You hungry?

Open the picnic basket.

[DENISE SCREAMS]

It's all right. They're onIy spiders.

They can't hurt you.

MAN: Hey, Barney!

Hi, Stan!

Were you here at your pIace Iast night?

-Yeah, why? -I thought I heard screams.

Like a chiId.

I didn't hear a thing.

Have a nice day.

Miss, can you tell me how to get to the post office?

Yeah, sure.

You go straight down, about a miIe.

-It's off HandIey. -That's what I couIdn't remember.

Thanks. Are you going that way?

-I can give you a Iift. -No, it's okay. Excuse me.

3:05.

One-eighty.

-Excuse me, miss? -Go away.

-Can you tell me how to--? -Don't bother me!

3:44.

Ninety-five.

Are you having an affair?

I Iove you.

I Iove Denise.

I know you think restoring this cabin is a crazy idea. . .

. . .but what if it's not?

What if I'm Iearning about myseIf. . .

. . .reaIizing that if I can do this, I can do anything?

So I take a step.

I think, ''Is this crazy? ShouId I stop?''

Then I think:

''Not yet.

There's aIways time to turn back. . .

. . .if I want to. '' So I take another step. . .

. . .and another. . .

. . .and another. . .

. . .untiI one day I reaIize that. . .

. . .I've crossed that Iine. . .

. . .and there's no turning back.

WOMAN: Let's get out of here.

-What? This is what we came for. -Let's go.

We didn't drive from SeattIe just to go back home.

PIease?

-Where do you wanna go? -Nowhere.

-Don't suIk. -I'm not suIking.

We're on vacation.

Okay.

There must be other disaster areas to go to.

[ENGINE SPUTTERS]

-What was that? -Nothing.

-Oh, come on! No! -Shit!

Shit!

I don't beIieve this. I toId you we needed gas.

-It happened, okay? -It's not okay.

Why are you so upset?

Nobody can see us untiI they are on top of us!

Why didn't you stop? We passed 1 0 pIaces!

They can see us fine, okay, Diane?

Oh, God!

-Oh, God! No! -Just caIm down.

-ShouId we push it? -Let's go.

I'll get the fIashIight.

-FIashIight? Jesus Christ, Di! -Find it!

-What are you gonna do with it? -You go.

You'll never find anything in that mess.

-Jeff, I'll find it! -I'm going!

Jeff, don't Ieave me aIone!

Diane?

I shouIdn't have Ieft you. I Iost my head.

I don't know why I did it.

I Iove you.

I'm sorry.

That's 1 5 bucks.

Thanks.

There.

JEFF: Okay, Iet's go home.

DIANE: No, park the car. Park the car.

What?

Now repeat after me.

I. . . .

-I. . . -I. . .

-. . .Jeff Harriman. . . -. . .Jeff Harriman. . .

-. . .swear that the wonderfuI. . . -. . .swear that the wonderfuI. . . .

. . .the exquisite and sweet. . . .

The potentially sweet--

The aIways sweet. . .

-. . .Diane Shaver. . . . -The aIways sweet Diane Shaver. . . .

Will never be Ieft by me again.

Will never be Ieft by me again.

Till death do us part.

Till death do us part.

That makes it feeI so officiaI.

-I Iove you. -I Iove you.

-You all right? -Mm-hm.

I forgot. I have a present for you.

-Yeah? -Yeah.

This is great!

I wanted to give it to you tonight, but. . . .

I screwed it up.

''Forever, Diane. ''

I don't smoke.

For you to Iight my cigarette.

-What? -I wanna drive.

I have to go to the bathroom. You want anything? Soda pop, beer?

Beer. That'd be great.

Diane?

What the hell is taking her so Iong?

Oh, the keys.

Diane?

Hey! This is the Iadies' room!

Diane!

Diane!

I'm Iooking for my girIfriend.

I've got a picture I took today. She's wearing this.

-Yes, I did see her. -When?

HaIf-hour ago. She was over by the Iotto machine.

Was she aIone? Did she taIk to anyone?

You know how many peopIe pass through here?

No cutting in Iine!

My girIfriend's disappeared. Has anyone seen her?

PIease. Anybody?

JEFF: We pulled in, we got gas. We then parked in that space.

She came into the store. That's when she disappeared.

Did you fight recentIy?

Wasn't a fight. It was a thing.

-A thing? -Don't you have a girIfriend?

Yeah, and if I think something's just a thing. . .

. . .you can bet she'll think it's a fight.

I'll make a report, but give it 24 hours--

No, Iisten to me! She has disappeared!

Something happened to her. It's not a Iovers' quarreI.

I urge you to move your face back to where it was.

Now, I know you're upset.

If I get information indicating fouI pIay, I'll proceed.

But for now, you better go home.

That's it?

BARNEY: I've had him in my cIass. He's a compIete faiIure.

I know, but probabIy not a totaI Iost cause. PIease, I just. . . .

Look, he put up a new one.

I heard him on the radio. Every month he repIaces the posters.

Every 30 days. You can set your watch.

He must've Ioved her very much.

I do admire his perseverance.

-Night of the Iiving dead. -I'll get him.

No, this is your second doubIe this week.

You got something more interesting? MeI Gibson doesn't call.

I know that guy.

From where, prison?

High schooI.

I'll go get him, okay?

Tough night?

Coffee, pIease.

You really think you need it? You got Iuggage under those eyes.

I'll bring you miIk.

I don't want miIk. I'd Iike coffee, pIease.

How much sIeep did you get Iast night?

Night before, night before that?

One miIk, coming up.

How Iong have you worked here?

Since the dawn of man.

MAN: Rita, bring me those checks.

My friend disappeared between Mount St. HeIens and SeattIe.

That's about 60 miIes from here.

I know.

What does your friend Iook Iike?

I know this is really crazy, but I think--

If I remembered everyone who came in, I'd be a freak of nature.

She's beautifuI.

Yeah, I know.

What's your name?

Jeff.

-Shit! -Don't worry about it. It's okay.

I'm not Ietting you get into a car Iike this.

There's a nice, big cot in the back.

-Let me sit for a minute-- -You can't drive Iike this.

-You shouId be in bed. -I'll be all right.

RITA: What do you do now?

JEFF: I was a copywriter, but I Iost my job.

-I'm sorry. -No.

No, I'm writing a noveI. I couIdn't do that if I was still one.

Why don't you take my number?

Don't give it to strangers.

I sIept with you, at Ieast in the same room.

-That bed killed my back. -Give me your arm. Turn around.

-What are you doing? -Just reIax, here.

Did it crack? Is it better?

I gotta cIear more space.

Look what I found.

Why don't you taIk about her anymore? She was the No. 1 topic.

What's the point? To get upset? To wind up all frustrated?

-It's weird how things just fade away. -It's not faded.

Your stuff is in the top drawer.

RITA: What's in those boxes? More crossword puzzIes?

JEFF: Those aren't crossword puzzIes. They're anagrams.

Oh, anagrams. That's really important.

It's mostIy oId stuff. Just high schooI yearbooks.

-Really? Where? I wanna see. -Now?

We have some unfinished business. Don't go through my stuff. Rita!

-You okay? -No.

-What is this? It aImost killed me. -It's nothing.

It's for protection.

There's a Iot of psychos around.

It's Ioaded.

That's usually what psychos respond to, honey.

Why didn't you tell me we have a gun?

You just moved in. You aIso have to bang on the faucet.

Let's get one thing straight, okay?

No secrets, Jeff. In the heart, on the Iips.

Rita, I need it.

Fine.

Thank you.

Come on. No more secrets, I promise, okay?

One night when you're asIeep, I'm going to chuck that gun.

[PHONE RINGS]

I'm sorry.

MAN ON MACHINE: This is for Jeff Harriman. It's Arthur Bernard.

-On a Sunday night? -Who's he?

A pubIisher. I gave him my book.

-Wait! -One sec. HoId on.

I need to talk to you.

Hello? Arthur. Yes, Jeff Harriman.

I'm sorry, Jeff. I'm afraid it's not for us.

But it's very good. Very taIented.

I see.

Don't Iook so destroyed.

We'd Iike you to write something eIse for us.

-Like an assignment? -ExactIy.

That wouId be great.

I remember when your girIfriend's disappearance was in the news.

That was terribIe.

I was in Tacoma at a wedding, and I saw your posters.

I'd forgotten all about it, but you're still Iooking.

-Yes, I am. -I want your story, Jeff.

The whoIe thing.

What do you say?

I've. . . .

I've been trying to put that behind me.

Oh, I'm sorry. What happened?

I'm gonna be abIe to pay the rent now.

-He Iiked it? -He Ioved it.

That's great! That's great!

-Let's go ceIebrate. -Okay.

[TYPING ]

It's about us, isn't it? You can tell me. I don't mind.

Let's go to bed.

Excuse me. How much is that uniform?

What time is it?

Seven o'cIock.

You have to go?

It's onIy one weekend a month.

Does your mom know you joined?

She filled out the appIication.

Go back to sIeep. See you tomorrow night.

WeIcome to ChanneI 7 News Check. I'm PauI McGraw.

Tonight my guest is the courageous and tormented Jeff Harriman.

-WeIcome to our show. -Thank you.

PAUL: In the years Diane's been missing, any new clues?

Have the kidnappers made any contact?

JEFF: No, not at all.

PAUL: And yet here you sit, year after year, trying to find her.

At least to find out what happened.

PAUL: That must've cost a lot of money.

JEFF: Pretty much everything I have.

PAUL: Let's just say the kidnapper is watching.

Anything you'd like to say to him now?

I want to meet you.

I don 't hate you. I just wanna know what happened to her.

I'm prepared to do anything to find out. Please.

I need to know.

There.

Measure on the bench.

GoggIes.

Don't you vaIue your eyes?

All right, gather around, pIease.

The greatest risk the research chemist faces. . .

. . .is that a contaminant is introduced. . .

. . .into the experiment. . .

. . .without his knowIedge, rendering the experiment pointIess.

Rita Baker.

''Once upon a time, in a wood, there Iived a finch named Kiki.

With her raccoon friends, Pop and Reba. . .

. . .she went to find the source of the river. ''

A chiIdren's book. LuIu the alligator. Lavender.

Oh, my God!

WOMAN: Room service.

RITA: Open up. The guy at the desk said you're here.

Is this what you want?

-Take it off. -Why?

I beIieve in giving my man what he wants. You know what?

Call me Diane. I'll treat you Iike shit.

Then I'll disappear!

Take it off!

Oh, my God!

No secrets? Remember, Jeff? No secrets!

I knew I couId never make you understand.

Who are you?

You tell me the truth!

Did you know what you were doing when you went. . .

. . .from crying to waking up in a sweat from dreaming about her?

Mentioning her Iess and taking her picture off the night tabIe. . .

. . .and putting mine there? Dancing on the baIcony?

Was the whoIe thing pIanned just to throw me off?

-I didn't wanna Iose you! -You're still in Iove with her!

I'm in Iove with you.

What are you saying?

I may not be as smart as you, but I'm not a dumb bitch.

-Look at this room! -No pictures except for the posters!

No mementos, just this! I Iove you, Rita!

I cracked the code, Jeff.

I saw the book.

You're a Iiar.

I tried not to come. I aImost went back home. . .

. . .but if I did, I'd just pack up and go.

Why didn't you?

Because I don't know how not to fight.

Nobody in my famiIy ever fought for anything.

They wound up on Prozac and sIeeping all day. . .

. . .or dead from Iiver disease at 35.

That's not gonna happen to me, Jeff. I fight!

It's not her, Rita.

It hasn't been for a very Iong time.

Then what is it?

It's it. It's not knowing.

You know what I do? I pretend I have a choice.

Either to Iet her go on Iiving wherever she is. . .

. . .and never know what happened. . .

. . .or she can be dead, and I get to find out everything.

So I Iet her die.

I swear to God, I wish she were dead.

You don't know what it is Iike to not know.

Shit.

I'm sorry. But I don't know what to do.

I do.

JEFF: I haven't been to the gas station since.

I sent the manager posters. He put them up.

I never went back myseIf.

RITA: Then it's time you did.

Come on.

Till death do us part.

She's gone, Jeff. Gone.

You may never find out how or why. You have to accept that.

If Diane were here right now. . .

. . .I'd ask you to marry me. It's you I Iove, I swear.

But if it were possibIe to choose right now. . .

. . .I'd rather be back at this gas station. . .

. . .so I'd find out what happened.

It's not good enough.

If you ever wanna move on with your Iife. . .

. . .if you wanna be just aIive again. . .

. . .then this is your Iast chance. I Iove you. . .

. . .but you must decide to be with me, or I'm gone.

Let her go, Jeff.

Let her go.

Diane.

''Meet me aIone. . .

. . .at the yacht cIub. ''

Hey.

Read it.

Go on. Come on.

He's watching me. I can feeI it.

My fear was that he was dead.

But there are things in this Ietter onIy he couId know.

Jeff, he's seen your picture in the paper.

He wants to see how far you'll go. He's Ioving this.

No, Iook. He signed it. Barney.

-You think that's his reaI name? -That's not the point.

You're right.

The point is, what am I doing here? It's never gonna change.

It'll just go on untiI you end up as crazy.

This Ietter's the first break I've had.

I can naiI this fucker!

Go to the poIice! You can't do this on your own!

The poIice? They Iaugh at me. I'm a joke to them.

I'm starting to see their point.

-Don't do this to me, not now! -Jesus Christ, you are amazing!

Did it occur to you that she doesn't wanna be found?

Goodbye, Jeff.

Run Iike a coward. At Ieast Diane was taken by force.

I am not Diane!

You've reached Jeff Harriman and his twisted ego.

Rita Baker no Ionger Iives here. She's Ieft Jeff.

She's moving out, and she will not be found here again.

So don't Iook for me, forever.

[DOOR SQUEAKS]

[PHONE RINGS]

You reached Jeff Harriman and Jeff's twisted ego.

Rita Baker no longer lives here. She has left Jeff.

Rita! Rita?

Oh, shit.

Hi, you've reached 555-87 67. PIease Ieave a message.

Hello, Jeff.

I'm the man you're Iooking for. I'm Barney.

Son of a bitch!

What did you do with her?

Where is she? What did you do with her?

Tell me!

Where is she, Barney?

Kill me if you want. You have every right.

Beat me to a bIoody puIp.

But if I die, you'll never know.

-I'm sorry. Were you done? -Tell me where she is!

There's onIy one way for you to find out.

-How? -One.

How?

Come with me.

Where?

In my car for a drive.

To where? Diane?

Come with me.

Tell me, is she dead?

I'm offering you this one chance. . .

. . .to find out everything.

I warn you, I've taken precautions.

If anything happens to me, or if you speak to anyone. . .

. . .you'll never know what happened.

I'm Ieaving now. . .

. . .with or without you.

I'll go with you, but you take me to Diane!

Shit!

He'd be such a great guy.

If he wasn't monumentally fucked up.

Lynn, come here, come here.

I hope he hasn't changed it. Listen to the message.

JEFF: You've reached.... -He changed it.

-Leave him a message! -Wait a minute.

BARNEY: Hello, Jeff.

-What? BARNEY: I'm who you're looking for.

-Oh, my God! -I'm Barney.

-What? -Oh, my God!

Hungry?

I hope you Iike roast beef.

I've thought a Iot about meeting you.

-I've wanted to right from the start. -Did you rape her?

I'm not a rapist. It's important that you understand that.

Then what did you do to her?

Let me tell you a story.

When I was 1 5, it was an ordinary day--

I don't wanna hear your damn story. I couIdn't give a shit.

I wanna know what happened to her.

Then you'll want to Iisten to the story.

You want to Iisten carefully.

Sometimes the deviI is in the detaiIs.

Now, once, when I was 1 5. . .

. . .it was an ordinary day. . .

... with my ordinary home and my ordinary life.

Something willed me to the edge of the balcony.

I wondered if I had the courage to jump.

I kept waiting for something to stop me. Anything.

But nothing did.

And so I jumped.

Everybody has had that thought at one time, but I did it. Why?

Because you're a nut case. I wanna know where Diane is!

You're still not Iistening.

Be carefuI. The answer will sIip by you.

Go on.

I Iead a very normaI Iife. I work. I have a home.

But then, one day. . .

. . .on vacation with my famiIy in CaIifornia. . . .

There's a IittIe girI in the water!

Hurry! She's drowning!

Wow!

BARNEY: I jumped in without thinking, just like when I was 1 5.

Once again, nothing stopped me.

I didn 't want to save her. I wanted to be a hero for my daughter.

You're the bravest man in the worId.

I Iove you, Daddy.

In that moment, she thought I was a god.

That wouId make most peopIe feeI great, but I panicked.

-What does this have to do with Diane? -Diane was an experiment.

Saving a Iife made me a hero, but did it make me a good person?

I had to prove to myseIf beyond a doubt. . .

. . .that I was as capabIe of eviI as I was of heroism.

ReaI eviI.

The worst thing. Or I wouIdn't deserve my daughter's Iove.

You're fucking insane.

You killed Diane.

For me, to kill is not the worst thing that I couId imagine.

There's more to know.

Tell me what happened. I won't say a word.

You won't because if you do you won't get what you need.

-Something wrong, officer? -You have a broken taillight.

I don't know what to say. There's nothing criminaI on the tape.

We'll conduct a search, but he has to be missing 24 hours first.

Twenty-four hours? Jesus!

What is this? Gotta give out parking tickets first?

Lynn, pIease.

How much have you had to drink?

One after another.

Get that taillight fixed.

Yes, officer. Will do. Thank you.

Drive safeIy.

-ProbIem? -Your seat beIt.

-I'm cIaustrophobic. -Just put it on.

Yes, sir.

Miss CarmichaeI? It's Rita! Are you there?

PIease come to the door! I need to taIk to you!

Magically deIicious.

Miss CarmichaeI! Can you come to the door?

What's the ruckus? You're gonna wake EIvis.

Great. Miss CarmichaeI, this is very important.

Did you see Jeff here today? Did you see anything unusuaI?

-You mean the fight with Barney? -Yes!

What fight? Tell me about it.

Nothing to tell.

Your boyfriend was whopping that man's head. . .

. . .got in the car with him and drove off.

Oh, God!

Okay, what eIse? Do you remember anything eIse?

Yes, come to think of it, I do.

-Something odd. -What?

In the middIe of everything. . .

. . .that Ieprechaun popped off my Lucky Charms box. . .

. . .and started dancing around.

''Magically deIicious! ''

Thank you.

If you wanna know the Iicense pIate number of the car, Iet me know.

Wait, wait, wait.

It's very urgent. PIease! I'll be one minute.

One minute. PIease? Thanks.

-Sir! Sir, my car was stoIen. -Your car was stoIen?

The Iicense pIate is 1 55INY. I've aIready been to the poIice.

Mrs. Cousins? HeIene Cousins?

Yes. . . .

You may still have my oId address.

1 804 Northwest Everett Drive.

-SeattIe. -New one. Thanks.

You gotta fill out this form.

I was having no success.

My methods needed to be rethought.

And then. . .

. . .my famiIy gave me a IittIe party on my birthday.

Okay, move in.

Right, IittIe cIoser.

SmiIe!

-Happy birthday. -Happy birthday, Barney.

BIow out the candIes, Daddy.

Thank you.

Forever.

More?

I'm afraid to open it.

Let's see.

What happened to me?

-What happened, Daddy? -You fell off the baIcony.

BARNEY: And that's when it dawned on me.

It wasn 't the lure that had to be stronger. I had to be weaker.

Excuse me.

I've opened mine with a barrette a million times.

-This way? -Yes.

BIess you.

Excuse me. I have to go to the men's room. I don't feeI so well.

I'd given up for the day.

It was comicaI.

I didn't trust myseIf not to Iaugh the next time.

Fate, Jeff.

If I hadn 't sneezed....

-I'm sorry. -Quite all right.

I was just wondering if you had five singIes.

Three ones.

Just a normaI singIe you couId trade me for my mangIed one. Thank you.

CouId you--?

Sorry.

Thank you.

Okay, now Iet's see if this works.

This is your Iucky day. I can feeI it.

Thank you.

That's a beautifuI braceIet.

Thank you. That's the symboI for infinity.

I suppose it means it'll stay forever.

Well, it's a nice thought.

My boyfriend wouId really appreciate something Iike that.

Where'd you get that?

I rep them.

I handIe saIes for the whoIe Northwest Territory.

Wow!

If you promise not to tell the next time you're in Paris. . .

. . .I'll Iet you have a sampIe for cost.

-They're in my car. -Really?

With a new product. . .

. . .it's a good idea to have peopIe seen wearing it around town.

-Twenty-two bucks. -That's cheap.

If I toId you the markup we get for these, you'd die. You want one?

Yes.

Right this way.

There they are.

PIease.

They're called ''tiIes'' in French?

That's the name of the company. Teels.

Un tile infinity, pIease.

CouId you get in and give me a hand?

-Get in? -Yes.

[SCREAMS]

Why did you make contact with me?

Because you asked.

The way you searched for Diane.

Such a worthy opponent.

A kindred spirit.

You don't meet many men who refuse to give up or be dominated.

Most just crouch frightened in the dark.

Excuse me.

I'm Iooking for Mr. Cousins. I saw you come out of his house.

I know who you are.

You do?

Yeah, I saw him watching you this afternoon. . .

. . .at the restaurant.

Come in out of the damp.

I'm Rita.

I'm Denise.

Are you going to run away together?

Um. . . .

It's compIicated.

Where is he now?

-At the cabin. -The cabin? I forgot.

Don't you wanna be together forever?

That's the symboI for infinity.

I gave it to him on a braceIet for his birthday.

Look, I wanna go to him now.

But I'm not sure I can find my way. It's dark.

Can you tell me the way?

Come on. You can drop me off on the way.

I'm meeting a boy. Daddy has no idea.

Mother's asIeep. Daddy says romance has to be secret.

-You won't tell him, will you? -No, I won't tell him.

JEFF: I wanna know what you did with her.

I'll tell you.

I will keep my promise.

But there's onIy one way to do it.

You must experience what she experienced.

What do you mean?

Everything that happened to her, every event from this point on. . .

. . .you must dupIicate exactIy.

You're crazy.

If you do, Iogic dictates you'll find her.

AIive?

This coffee is drugged.

Judging from your size. . .

. . .it wouId take 1 5 minutes to take effect.

It'll put you out for 40 minutes or so. . .

. . .the same Iength of time Diane was out.

You must remain unconscious for us to move on.

So she's not dead?

Drink.

And afterwards, what?

Drink and you will experience exactIy what she experienced.

You don't understand. I won't tell anyone. I just want to know.

I understand.

And when I put myseIf in your pIace, I beIieve you.

That's why I don't need a gun.

Your obsession is my weapon.

It's Iike you are my Iaboratory rat.

I provided the materiaIs. You've buiIt the cage.

OnIy now, you can't escape what you've constructed.

If you want to know what happened to her. . .

. . .you have to go through the same things.

The key chain, I'd Iike to see it again.

Jeff, Iook at your Iife. You have nothing. No job.

No money.

No Iove.

No peace of mind.

It's been three years of hell.

At what point do you say, ''I'm not going to be over this''?

There were nights with Diane I'd pray she'd get into an accident. . .

. . .just so she'd Iet me take care of her.

Just so she'd have to stay with me.

You don't care if she's aIive or dead.

I do.

You're afraid that you won't know who you are.

Who is Jeff if he's not the guy Iooking for Diane?

PIease.

Can you waIk away from knowing the answer?

PIease, I just wanna know what happened to her.

Drink, Jeff, really. What choice do you have?

I said I'd show you what happened to Diane. . .

. . .and I'm a man of my word.

No!

HeIp!

Diane.

Oh, shit!

Hello, Rita.

I really disIike surprises.

Rita?

It's me! Come out.

You can't possibIy win.

You don't know how.

Your hiding is pointIess.

I know these woods inside and out.

They're Iike a maze.

You must come out if you want to find Jeff!

That's why you came, after all.

Where's Jeff?

Where?

Do what you want. You'll never know what happened.

If anything happens to me, all you'll have is your same uncertainty.

-Your choice. -I'll take my chances.

Jeff?!

Jeff!

Jeff, are you here?

Jeff!

Jeff!

Jeff!

Hello?

Hello?

Hello?

Operator 3 1 9. What city, please?

Hello? Hello?

FeeIing strange?

This is silly, Rita.

You can't fight.

No!

BARNEY: How did you follow us?

Did you see us Ieave?

The important thing is that it was all Jeff's choice.

Coming to the restaurant, getting in the car. . .

. . .drinking the coffee.

He did what he wanted to do.

You're feeIing better, aren't you?

I know how Iong the chIoroform effects Iast.

You'll soon be strong enough to fight.

Well, I'm sorry, but. . .

. . .I'm just not up to it.

And besides. . .

. . .I have to get home before my wife wakes up.

Tell me what you did to Jeff.

You took your chances.

Is he dead?

I made him a cup of coffee. It was drugged.

To find out what happened, he had to go through what she did.

And now you must do the same.

This can be easy, or this can be hard.

Your choice.

Don't worry. It won't keep you up.

Tell me, Mr. Cousins. Have you spoken to your daughter tonight?

What? How do you know my name?

I know your famiIy's names, Barney. Wife, HeIene.

Daughter, Denise.

Sweet, innocent, 1 3-year-oId daughter, Denise.

Brown hair, full of secrets.

I've got her.

What are you up to? How were you abIe to follow us?

Denise knows the way.

I took your daughter tonight to trade for Jeff.

A brave attempt, but we both know it's not true.

Let's taIk about the mistress she wants you to have.

Wuthering Heights.

Or better yet, Iet's taIk about infinity.

HeIene, it's me.

HELENE: Is Denise with you? Her bed hasn 't been slept in.

I got up to close the windows and she wasn 't there....

That's right, shithead.

Where is she? What did you do with her?

If you wanna know, you'll have to go through what she did.

-Drink. -You can't be serious.

Try me.

-If you think-- -Drink!

Now!

To your heaIth.

Jeff! God, hoId on!

Jeff, hoId on! HoId on!

Jeff, hoId on!

Oh, Jesus!

God, be aIive! Be aIive.

Be aIive!

Rita?

I've got 1 5 minutes to find her, Rita!

-Son of a bitch! -Where is she?

-You killed him! -I have no time to mess around!

-Get off of me! Bastard! -Tell me where she is!

-Tell me where she is! -No!

Where is she?

HeIp!

I've got 1 5 minutes to find her, Rita!

No, don't!

It's over. It's over.

You all right?

There was a terrific story there before, but now. . .

. . .I think it's an out-and-out smash.

-I need for you to write it. -I don't think so.

We wanna put the whoIe thing behind us.

Look, I know I'm being gauche, but I'm a pubIisher.

Write this book, pIease. You won't regret it.

What do you say?

-No coffee. -We don't drink that anymore.