Banking on Death Screenplay by Emma Lathen

Author:Emma Lathen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: -
Publisher: Simply Media
Published: 2018-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

EXT. KATHRYN SCHNEIDER'S HOUSE - DAY

Captain Self arrives at Kathryn Schneider's house and parks his car. Gets out and rings the bell.

KATHRYN SCHNEIDER (40's), Robert's widow, answers the door; she looks beaten down by life but attractive underneath it. She is painfully thin with short unattractive hair. No mourning clothes. Her clothes are prim, teaching clothes, a concession to his presence.

KATHRYN SCHNEIDER

Come in Captain.

INT. KATHRYN SCHNEIDER'S HOUSE - DAY

Captain Self follows Kathryn into a small living room. A Christmas tree sits in the corner with a number of boxes under it. A few pine needles are on the rug.

She points to a couch and sits in a straight back chair facing it.

KATHRYN SCHNEIDER

I suppose you think I was lying to

you about the money. I've just

heard about it myself.

She pulls out a letter and hands it to him angrily. Self reads John Thatcher's letter.

CAPTAIN SELF

Yes, I heard from Mr. Thatcher on

Friday.

KATHRYN SCHNEIDER

(strained)

I've sent the boys to my sister in

Utica. I suppose that's all right

isn't it? I couldn't bear to have

them around here with the police

and reporters coming and going.

Self hands her the letter back.

CAPTAIN SELF

We may have to talk to them again,

but we can let that go for a while.

At least the letter makes things a

little better. For the future I

mean.

KATHRYN SCHNEIDER

I suppose so. I'm just about out of

my mind. Yesterday I would have

been so happy to know about the

money. I spent the day worrying

about the School Board. I haven't

heard from them... And now I have

another motive, haven't I. You

won't believe that I didn't know

about the money...

CAPTAIN SELF

Now Mrs. Schneider, you are an

educated woman. You know I have to

ask questions and go over a lot of

stories. Including the story about

the money. It doesn't mean that I

think you had more of a motive than

anyone else or that I suspect you.

And if you didn't kill your husband

nothing is going to make us think

you did. And the sooner we find out

who did kill him, the better things

will be for you.

She bows her head as if in silent prayer and looks at him with a ghost of a smile.

KATHRYN SCHNEIDER

I'm sorry, Captain. I'm

overwrought, I guess. I'll try to

get control of myself.

CAPTAIN SELF

Good.

KATHRYN SCHNEIDER

Let me get us some coffee.

The Captain waits patiently as she leaves for the kitchen. He surveys the room. She returns with coffee.

KATHRYN SCHNEIDER (CONT'D)

All right, fire away.

CAPTAIN SELF

Let's start with the money. You say

you didn't know that your husband

was due $250,000. That fits in with

what they told me about trying to

find him. It is possible, and

perhaps probable, he didn't know

about it either. Now what did you

know about his family back in

Massachusetts?

KATHRYN SCHNEIDER

Nothing. I've told you I married

Bob just out of the Army in

California. He didn't say much

about his family except that his

mother and father were dead and

that he had lived with his Aunt

Marie who had died too. He didn't

mention any other family. I assumed

he didn't have any.

CAPTAIN SELF

You came back from California just

after you were married, wasn't it?

Was there any special reason?

KATHRYN SCHNEIDER

Yes. He wasn't satisfied with his

job at Hughes Aircraft and came

back to take a job at Eastman Kodak

in Rochester.

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