Master angle - the sand dune

 

A skein of seaweed garnishes the base of this isolated dune.

 

The booming waves and fizzing surf make dialogue inaudible.

 

Deputy Hendricks on hands and knees, looking white as a sheet.

Brody tells Cassidy to wait at the foot of the dune, and

ventures up. Hendricks stops him with a wave-off, saying

something at the same time. Brody nods understanding and

steps up cautiously and looks down. He adjusts his glasses,

trying to make sense of what he is looking at.

 

Whatever he sees has a marked effect on his entire physique.

 

Kicking out with his foot, Brody sends dozens of angry

horseshoe crabs into an escape frenzy and they boil over the

top of the dune and down its slopes.

 

Cassidy takes a few uneasy steps backwards when Brody waves

him over. He shakes his head. An awkward moment. Then Cassidy

shuffles forward and up the few remaining feet, his eyes

looking everywhere but down. Brody says something else and

Cassidy shakes his head again, eyes out at sea. Brody puts

his hand gently around the quaking man's shoulder.

 

Nodding, he starts to look down, an inch at a time. He looks.

 

He, too, can't make out what it is at first. Then he

understands.

 

The jolt that assaults Cassidy is not unexpected. He falls

backward in a sitting position as though shot. Nods yes --

it's her. Brody turns and slides off the dune, stumbling

close. Hear his breathing. He looks around, envisioning the

week ahead of him....

 

QUICK SHARP CUT

 

Chrissie's remains, incomplete from the chest down, horribly

bitten. (NOTE: See Hooper's dialog in Sc. 91 for complete

description of corpse.)

 

INT. BRODY'S OFFICE - DAY

 

Brody walks through the door and enters his office, holding

a fizzing glass of Alka-Seltzer. Polly, his sixty-one year

old secretary follows close on his heels with her shorthand

pad of messages and reminders.

 

In the outer office, Hendricks and Cassidy slump into chairs,

sipping from fizzing dixie cups.

 

Brody dips into file drawers for the appropriate forms. He

gently turns on Polly, who is behind him.

 

BRODY

If this is going to work, you've got

to keep current stuff out here, and

put 'closed' files in there. The

'Pendings' stay on my desk, okay?

 

Brody slips behind his typewriter, putting paper in the

machine with the effortless ease of years of practice. He's

obviously no stranger to paperwork. He touch types, hardly

ever looking down, checking his notes and listening with one

ear to Polly.

 

He is affected by what he's seen, but there's work to be

done.

 

POLLY

This is in no order of importance,

Chief: There's a meeting on the Amity

Town Council on Aging this Monday

night, Bentoncourt Hall. The Fire

Inspector wants you to go over the

fireworks site with him before he

catches the one o'clock ferry. Mainly,

you have a batch of calls about that

new Karate school.

 

CLOSE - ACCIDENT REPORT

 

Brody has just typed the girl's name. He skips the space for

Cause-of-Death, and just under it types the Next-of-Kin

information he has collected from her wallet.

 

POLLY

Searle's Rent-a-Bike, the Rainy Ale,

Tisberry's Hardware... they say it's

those nine-year-olds from the school

practicing karate on all those nice

picket fences.

 

The phone rings and Polly picks it up.

 

POLLY

It's the Coroner. Somebody pass away

in the night?

 

Brody nestles the phone between ear and collar, listening,

as he turns to the typewriter.

 

BRODY

Jesus, Santos.

 

INSERT - ACCIDENT REPORT

 

Cause-of-Death line rolls into place. The hammers punch out:

SHARK ATTACK.

 

BRODY

 

leans forward, staring at what he just wrote. Polly cocks

her head and removes the phone from his ear.

 

POLLY

What's the matter?

 

Brody takes a breath. A new resolve comes over him.

 

BRODY

Polly, I want to know what water

recreation is on for today.

 

POLLY

Right this minute?

 

Brody gets up and moves hastily toward the door.

 

BRODY'S OUTER OFFICE

 

Cassidy and Hendricks look up as Brody enters.

 

BRODY

(To Hendricks)

Where'd you hide the 'Beach Closed'

signs?

 

HENDRICKS

We never had any. What's the problem?

 

A local merchant comes through the door.

 

LOCAL MERCHANT

Glad I caught you. There's a city

truck with New Hampshire plates parked

right in front of my...

 

Brody pushes past him and out the door.