Int. Brody kitchen - morning

 

Brody enters, sets down some dog food, goes to make coffee,

starts to fill kettle to boil water, the cold water rushes

through and out the burnt-out bottom of the kettle.

 

BRODY

Did you burn another kettle? Y'know

you're a fire hazard? This is the

third one!

 

ELLEN (O.S.)

I never hear the whistle.

 

BRODY

Feed the dogs.

 

Ellen Brody, a tall, attractive blonde woman, enters from

upstairs. She's still slightly sleepy, not what you'd call

an "Instant-On" person. Mornings are not her best time.

 

ELLEN

You want to go through those?

(she indicates bag of

clothes)

I'm taking them to the Thrift Shop.

It's Marcia Vaughn's pet charity.

Pick out what you want to keep --

it's mostly your city clothes.

 

BRODY

(looking through bag,

remembering)

I used to wear this to the Garden.

Garbage strikes. Dog shit. Muggers.

(he puts it all behind)

Ship it.

 

ELLEN

Don't be silly -– You're going to

make summer better for them...

 

Before Brody can answer, Michael, his oldest boy, enters,

holding his hand. There is bright new blood on it, but he is

sensibly unconcerned. It's a normal childhood scrape.

 

MICHAEL

Cut my hand. Hit by a vampire.

 

BRODY

On the swing? I told you not to play

near there until I sanded it down.

(to Ellen)

See what your son did?

 

ELLEN

Go upstairs and bring Mommy a band-

aid.

 

Michael goes on out and upstairs. Ellen fumbles in her pocket

and produces Brody's new glasses, which she holds out to

him.

 

ELLEN

Don't forget these.

 

BRODY

Oh, yeah.

(he puts them on)

How do I look? Older, huh?

 

ELLEN

I think they make you look sexy.

 

Brody reacts to this, and bends to kiss her lightly. Then

more seriously.

 

BRODY

Sexy, hm? What was I before?

 

ELLEN

Older, sillier.

 

BRODY

(as he goes to make

coffee, he fumbles

with the new glasses)

I don't want to depend on these

things, y'know -– sometimes you can

weaken your eyes.

 

He looks out the window to the view beyond, discovering some

new wonder in the fresh sunlit morning.

 

BRODY'S POINT OF VIEW – OUTSIDE THE HOUSE

 

Sean, the younger child, is happily romping in the summer

air, enjoying the very air he breathes.

 

BRODY

Let's see...

 

The phone rings.

 

INT. BRODY KITCHEN – DAY

 

Brody answers one of two phones on the wall.

 

BRODY

Brody... yeah, what's up... mmm...

Well, what do they usually do, float

or wash up? Really?... okay, I'll

meet both of you at the beach in

(checks watch)

...20 minutes, okay? Okay.

(hangs up)

First goddamn weekend of the summer.

 

Michael reenters in bathing trunks, with a towel on his

shoulder, his hand washed, holding a band-aid ready for

application. Ellen takes it, and bandages the finger with

care and affection.

 

ELLEN

There.

(to Brody)

What was that?

 

Michael heads toward the beach.

 

BRODY

(struggling to get

his shirt on over

his glasses)

The office.

 

He gets his shirt on with Ellen's help. She flicks imaginary

dust from the badge on his chest.

 

ELLEN

Be careful.

 

BRODY

Here? You gotta be kiddin'.

 

He gives her a light kiss, starts to go, with his cup.

 

BRODY

Love ya.

 

ELLEN

(kissing him back)

Hey Chief. Bring my cup back.

 

At the door, he takes a windbreaker off a peg and goes on

out.

 

We can see the Amity Police shoulder patch as he goes to a

van parked outside.

 

EXT. ISLAND HIGHWAY - MORNING

 

Martin Brody's Country Squire police wagon rushes past, taking

the view to an enormous billboard depicting a typical summer

day in Amity. A beautiful model splashes in the gold surf,

languishing in a Solarcaine sun. AMITY WELCOMES YOU is written

above her flailing arms.

 

EXT. AMITY BEACH - DAY

 

Three small figures in the landscape, walking the beach. The

surf is rough and there is sea-floor debris strewn about

from the receding tide.

 

CLOSER ANGLE

 

Deputy Hendricks is searching the shore about one hundred

yards down wind. Meanwhile, Brody, in his casual police

attire, and Tom Cassidy, still in the clothing we saw him in

last night, walk down the beach. Brody fingers the missing

girl's shoes, purse and clothes. In the daylight, Cassidy

misconducts himself, wavering between inflated maturity and

tear-blown adolescence.

 

BRODY

Christine what?

 

CASSIDY

Worthingsly... Worthington -- no one

ever died on me before.

 

BRODY

You picked her up on the ferry.

 

CASSIDY

I didn't know her.

 

BRODY

And nobody else saw her in the water?

 

CASSIDY

Somebody could've -- I was sort of

passed out.

 

BRODY

Think she might've run out on you?

 

CASSIDY

Oh, no, sir. I've never had a woman

do that. I'm sure she drowned.

 

BRODY

You from around here?

 

CASSIDY

No. Cambridge. Harvard. My family's

in Tuxedo, New York, though.

 

BRODY

You here for the summer?

 

CASSIDY

Some friends and me took a house.

 

BRODY

(genuinely curious)

What d'you pay for a place just for

the summer?

 

CASSIDY

A thousand apiece, something like

that. There's five of us. And we

each kick in a hundred a week for

beer and cleaning, stuff like that.

 

BRODY

Pretty stiff.

 

A shrill whistle makes them turn. Hendricks is fifty yards

away, on his knees. He blows again, a feeble report this

time.

 

BRODY

Maybe that's your girl.

 

Brody runs toward Hendricks, Cassidy hesitates, then follows

with:

 

CASSIDY

(pathetically)

You can't make me look --!