Hope Falls Season 2 - Eagle Valley

by Jamieson Wolf

  There was silence in the kitchen. Finally, Cleo spoke from the corner in a soft voice. "We still have no proof of who you are."

  "Well." Erin said, blushing. "I do have this." She reached into her bag. Susan tensed, half expecting a gun to show its ugly muzzle. Instead she was startled when she saw what it was Erin was pulling out of her bag.

  It was a black and white picture. Of Miriam.

  Erin laid it on the table and they all leaned in to get a good look at it. Miriam looked young, about twelve or thirteen. She had a gap tooth and her eyes were closed but she was smiling and laughing at something. And it was her.

  Derrick let out a sound close to a choked whisper and took the picture softly from the table. "Oh, God, Miriam." He said.

  Susan's mouth tightened. "I'm gonna go for a walk."

  She stomped out of the house through the back door and took a shuddering breath. Reaching into her pant pocket, she pulled out a slim pack of cigarettes. "I'm such a freaking dumb ass. What am I doing?" She took an angry puff and looked at the ring on her finger. "I'm so in love with him and he doesn't know I exist."

  INT: EAGLE VALLEY KITCHEN

  "So?" Erin asked. "Where is she? Can I see her? Is Miriam here?"

  Sophie and Cleo looked at Derrick who was still immersed in the picture of Miriam. They knew he was in no state to answer questions.

  "Oh, Sweetheart." Cleo said. "You have no idea do you?"

  "Have no idea about what?" Erin asked. Her eyes teared up again. "Oh god, I hate when people say that? Something's happened hasn't it?"

  "I'm afraid so." Cleo said. "You see, child, oh, God, how do I say this."

  "What she's trying to say so eloquently," Sophie cut in, "Is that she's dead.

  EXT: EAGLE VALLEY HOUSE

  Madder got out of his car and approached the house. He was hoping that this was going to go well, but he wasn't too worried. He had faked his way through things before and this was going to be no different. It was all smoke and mirrors, really.

  He knew that Derrick would be surprised to see him. Secrets that come to the surface are often those that hurt the most and this would be a blast for the past for him. But he believed in multi-tasking. Erin also intrigued him. Erin Parsons now posing as Erin Parker presented him with a challenge.

  And Madder loved a good challenge

  Smiling, he rang the door bell.

  INT: EAGLE VALLEY KITCHEN

  Cleo looked at the door with disdain. "For god sake!" She said. "I'm so sick and tired of that damn doorbell. Who the hell else knows we're here?"

  She stomped off to answer the door, leaving Derrick and Sophie alone in the kitchen. There was silence in the kitchen for a while, while Derrick was still looking at Miriam's picture. Sophie heard the back door open and close softly and waited a few moments before she spoke.

  "I can't get you out of my mind Derrick." She said in a soft, sultry voice. "What we did the other night on the grass."

  Derrick's head snapped up, the picture forgotten. "Sophie, don't."

  "Oh, Derrick, I keep thinking of your hands all over me, all over my body. Your mouth on my breasts." She smiled and came closer to him.

  "Sophie, we agreed we wouldn't speak of this."

  "Please, Derrick, I can't think of anything else but you. I can't feel anything but you inside me, I need to feel that Derrick."

  Derrick felt himself growing hard despite himself. "Sophie…" he said with longing.

  Looking on behind the kitchen doorway, her heart hammering, Susan continued to listen.

  INT: EAGLE VALLEY HOUE—In the Attic

  The blond haired woman sat in the darkness.

  She heard everything. Old houses carried sound and could hide someone well. Especially a house like this. There were places you could hide if you went looking for them, and she knew how to hide. Her survival had depended upon it.

  She knew that something was going to happen. All she had to do was wait.

  EXT: EAGLE VALLEY HOUSE – In The Bushes

  Betty watched the door open, Cleo talking to Madder.

  Flipping open her cell phone, she dialed a number, waited until he answered. "All the players are in place." She said.

  "Excellent." Howard said, a smile spreading across his face. "Wait a while, will you, and then make the call."

  "Alright." Betty said, flipping her phone closed.

  Betty smiled her own smile. She had a few ideas of her own too. And she wanted to play. She had a score to settle. If Madder was here, something was going on. She had recognized him the moment he had walked up to the door.

  Howard's brother didn't get involved for no reason. She knew there was more going on here. She wanted some action. She wanted to have some fun.

  Flipping open her cell phone, she dialed another number.

  Chapter Twenty One

  INT: HOPE FALLS STUDIOS

  It was all like a game of chess, Howard thought.

  Hey eyed the phone. He knew that all the pawns were in place, they were just waiting to be moved.

  Strategy was all a game, a handsome puzzle that cried out to be solved. He reached into a desk drawer on the right hand side and took out a black and white photograph.

  It was a headshot of Susan. In it, she had her lips poised, all pouty and painted a deep red, as if she were kissing the camera.

  Howard smiled.

  Soon, he thought. Soon.

  EXT: EAGLE VALLEY HOUSE

  Cleo looked at the man with narrowed eyes. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "Yes?" She said, not bothering to keep the coldness out of her voice. "Can I help you?"

  "I sure hope you can, Ma'am." His voice was smoky and almost rough. It sent shivers down her spine. "I'm looking for Derrick." He smiled. "Derrick Grey."

  Cleo hid her shock. "And who may I say is calling?"

  "I'm his brother." The man said. "I'm his brother Madder Grey."

  INT: EAGLE VALLEY KITCHEN

  "I can't get you out of my mind Derrick." She said in a soft, sultry voice. "What we did the other night on the grass."

  Derrick's head snapped up, the picture forgotten. "Sophie, don't."

  "Oh, Derrick, I keep thinking of your hands all over me, all over my body. Your mouth on my breasts." She smiled and came closer to him.

  "Sophie, we agreed we wouldn't speak of this."

  "Please, Derrick, I can't think of anything else but you. I can't feel anything but you inside me, I need to feel that Derrick."

  Derrick felt himself growing hard despite himself. "Sophie…" he said with longing.

  Looking on behind the kitchen doorway, her heart hammering, Susan continued to listen. She was not hearing this, she was not hearing this. The ring on her finger, his ring, burned.

  "God Derrick," Sophie continued. "I still feel you inside me. I can't think of anything else. Tell me you don't feel the same way?"

  She moved closer to him, unbuttoned her shirt until she stood in only a pair of lace panties in front of him. "Look at me Derrick."

  Against his better judgment, Derrick looked. And was entranced. Slowly, he reached out a hand and tweaked a nipple, pulled her to him.

  Sophie let out a soft moan that stabbed into Susan's heart. Sophie, seeing Susan's shadow in the doorway of the kitchen, smiled.

  CAMERA SWITCHES TO INT. EAGLE VALLEY KITCHEN. CAMERA ZOOMS IN ON ERIN'S FACE. SHE WEARS A LOOK OF DISBELIEF

  Erin, lurking in the corner of the kitchen, watched Derrick and Sophie slowly remove their clothes. She could not believe what was going on, what was happening right in front of her.

  She watched Sophie's slow seduction of Derrick and followed the woman's gaze to the kitchen doorway. There, Erin spotted Susan, watching the scene with a shocked look on her face, just like her. Susan looked over and spotted her, her head jerking back at being seen.

  She looked at Erin as if she were seeing her for the first time. Erin shrugged helplessly and then had an idea. She motioned to Susan to meet her upstairs, hoping that she got the
point.

  Susan nodded. She understood.

  Steeling herself for what was about to happen, she blushed. Her cheeks complimented her black hair, giving life to her face. Sighing, she took a step forward.

  "Excuse me?" She said out loud.

  Derrick, who currently had his mouth, attached to Sophie's right breast, looked up. A spell had been broken, it seemed. Derrick looked at Sophie, at his own hard on, and then he saw Susan, standing in the kitchen doorway.

  "I'm just going to go upstairs and find a room, shall I?" Erin said. "I'll leave you two at it." Smiling sweetly, she headed up the back steps to the second floor of the house. She was vaguely aware of Cleo ushering a man inside the living room before she mounted the steps.

  Derrick tucked himself back inside his boxer shorts and pushed Sophie away from him. "Susan…."

  Susan shook her head at him and held up her hand. A single tear slid down her cheek and her bottom lip quivered. "Don't." She said. "Please don't."

  Slowly, she made her way past them and followed Erin up the stairs.

  Smiling to herself, Sophie turned away from Derrick and did up her shirt. She had another call to make.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  INT: EAGLE VALLEY HOUSE: LIVING ROOM "So," Cleo said, "You are Derrick's brother." She did not bother to disguise the sarcasm in her voice.

  "I know it's hard to believe." Madder said.

  "That's putting it lightly."

  "There's no need for sarcasm."

  "I'm not being sarcastic." Cleo reached for her mug of tea and took a sip to steady her nerves.

  "How do I know you're who you say you are?"

  "I have proof if that's what you're asking."

  "Smart man."

  "So they tell me."

  Cleo let some of her impatience snap to the surface. "Look, why don't you just tell me why the hell you're here."

  "I should of that would have been obvious. I want to see my brother."

  Madder reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a photograph. In it, there was a boy that was clearly Madder holding a child that looked very much like Derrick.

  "We were separated." Madder said. "After our parents died. We were both so young." Madder looked away for a moment, real emotion showing on his face. "Do you mind, Ma'am," he said, not looking at her. "Do you mind getting Derrick so I don't have to say this twice?"

  Cleo closed her eyes for a second to sense the air around her. There were secrets inside of him, but he was telling the truth. Sighing, knowing that his coming brought trouble, she went to the doorway.

  "Derrick!

  INT: EAGLE VALLEY HOUSE: ERIN'S BEDROOM

  Susan sat down on the bed while Erin closed the door. Erin's auburn hair looked copper red in the soft light of the afternoon. It was getting darker.

  Finally, Erin spoke. "Do you want to talk about it?"

  Susan shook her head. "No. I can't. I can't talk about it now."

  "He's your fiancée isn't he?"

  Susan looked at her. "How did you know that?"

  Erin blushed. "I noticed the engagement ring on your finger."

  Susan looked down at her hand. The ring seemed almost foreign to her now. "Yes. I suppose he is."

  "You don't sound as if you're too sure."

  "I don't think I am." Susan felt the tears come. "God, Erin, they were going at it in the kitchen! They've done it before, they've…" She closed her mouth for a moment, unable to speak, fresh tears flowing.

  "It's okay, Susan." Erin came to sit beside her on the bed and put her arm around her softly. "It's going to be okay."

  "You don't understand. You can't understand."

  "I just want to find Miriam." Erin figured that, in times like this, it was best to stick to her story. "I just want to know she's okay."

  "They don't know what happened to her. They never found her body." It was the first time Susan had admitted that her friend might be alive. The first time that she had admitted to herself that Miriam might be out there somewhere. It hurt, just knowing that it might be true.

  "I can't talk about this now. But I will. I'll tell you anything you want to know. But tomorrow, okay?"

  Erin smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "Sure, no problem."

  Susan hugged her. "You going to be okay?" Erin asked?

  "Sure," Susan said, "I'm just going to go lie down for a while. Get some rest. I'm a little tired." She got up and went to the bedroom door. "By the way." She said. "Thanks."

  "For what?"

  "For giving me a hug." Susan smiled weakly and slipped out, shutting the bedroom door behind her.

  INT: EAGLE VALLEY KITCHEN

  "Derrick!"

  Derrick turned towards Cleo's voice. Without another word to Sophie, feeling as if his world would fall around him if he closed his eyes for a second, left the kitchen and went in the direction of the living room.

  Sophie smiled to herself and took her cell phone out of her pocket. She dialed the number from memory and a gravelly voice answered."

  "Yes?"

  "It's done."

  "What's done, Sophie?" Howard's voice was soft. She knew he was anxious.

  "I drove a stake between them. I don't think they can repair this."

  Howard laughed softly. "Is there discord in the house Sophie?"

  Sophie smiled. "Discord is their new bedfellow."

  "Tell me what you've done." He said.

  And she told him.

  INT: EAGLE VALLEY HOUSE: SUSAN'S BEDROOM

  Susan pulled on her nightgown and slowly got into bed. She had taken off the engagement ring and placed it on her bedside table where it now winked at her like an eye in the darkness.

  She would decide what to do about that tomorrow, she thought. What to do about Derrick, about Sophie.

  I just want a normal life, she thought. That's all I ever wanted. Sighing, she pulled the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes, moonlight slipping in through the cracks of the blinds. Night had come while she had been lying here and now she could feel the darkness around her.

  Just before she was about to drift off to sleep, she heard a noise.

  By the time the hand gripped her in the dark, it was too late. Something smashed into the back of her head and Susan felt herself tumble into unconsciousness.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  INT: EAGLE VALLEY HOUSE: KITCHEN

  "It's done." Sophie said into her cell phone.

  "What's done, Sophie?" Howard's voice was soft. She knew he was anxious.

  "I drove a stake between them. I don't think they can repair this."

  Howard laughed softly. "Is there discord in the house Sophie?"

  Sophie smiled. "Discord is their new bedfellow."

  "Tell me what you've done." He said.

  "I slept with Derrick."

  "I know that part."

  "Ah, but did I tell you I did it in front of Susan?"

  Howard laughed softly. "Come again, my dear? I must be going deaf."

  "You heard me. I fucked him in the kitchen and made sure she was watching."

  Howard laughed louder. "You really are a foxy minx, aren't you?"

  Sophie smiled. "It's what you pay me to do."

  "Ah, correction." Sophie could hear his voice harden over the phone. "It's what we CREATED you to do. Do you remember Dragon's Cove, Sophie?"

  FLASH!

  A MAN STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. SMALLER PALM TREES LINE THE SIDES OF A CITY STREET. THE TOWN LOOKS BEAUTIFUL ON EITHER SIDE, IT'S SIDEWALKS MADE FROM VARNISHED STONES AND WHAT LOOKED LIKE ACTUAL BOARDWALK STREETS. THE MAN HAS HIS HAND RAISED TO US, HOLDING OUT HIS HAND TO US.

  HE HAS BLACK HAIR BUT IT IS WHITE AT THE EDGES. HIS EYES ARE JUST AS DARK.

  "I won't hurt you, Sophie." The man says.

  "What do you want from me?" Sophie asked. She was astounded to find herself here, in this white place, amongst all this hot, blinding stone.

  "You must return, Sophie. You are needed here."

  Sophie l
ooked down at her feet. They were bare. The stone was hard underneath them. "What do you want with me?"

  "You are needed here." The man said. He smiled. "You are needed in Dragon's Cove…"

  FLASH!

  "Oh, God." Sophie stifled a sob. "Yes, I remember Dragon's Cove."

  "Then remember what you are. You remember how we found you?"

  "Yes." A whisper.

  "Alright then." Howard's voice softened. "I think it's time you go find your tools."

  "When did you want me to do it?"

  "When night it at it's highest. I think tonight should do nicely, don't you?"

  Sophie smiled. "I'm going to enjoy this."

  "Of that, I have no doubt." Howard replied.

  CAMERA SWITCHES TO: EAGLE VALLEY HOUSE: BACK STAIRWELL ZOOMS IN ON ERIN'S FACE. SHE IS HIDING IN THE SHADOWS OF THE STAIRWELL, LISTENING TO SOPHIE'S EVERY WORD.

  She knew that bitch was up to no good.

  She wished she had been able to hear the other side of the telephone conversation. Sophie was up to something; Erin just wished she knew what.

  Erin berated herself. She was a Private Investigator. She normally had more facts than she did now. All she knew was their faces, but not the facts. There was something going on beneath the surface here. There had been tragedy. She could see that.

  And where was Miriam? She had expected to find the woman in the house with the others, her employer said she should be here. But now to find out that Miriam was missing and presumed dead? What happened to her?

  And what was Dragon's Cove?

  One thing was for sure: Sophie was doing someone else's bidding. Could it be Howard? She hoped that Susan was able to shed some light on what was really going on here. She needed answers and needed them fast

  She watched as Sophie slipped out the back door of the house and into the backyard. Steeling herself, Erin followed her to see what she was up to.

  It looked as if Sophie was making her move.

  EXT: EAGLE VALLEY HOUSE: BUSHES

  Betty sat in her car, sipping a coffee.

  She had the house bugged at the point, so there was no need for her to sit outside in the bushes with night approaching. Howard had phoned and it looked as if things were going to go down tonight. She was glad she had thought ahead.