FIRST DEGREE

FIRST DEGREE  

by Ron Base

       FADE IN:

 1     EXT. WOODED AREA - NIGHT                                      1

       POV - searching through the woods.

       SUPERIMPOSE: BASED ON A TRUE STORY

       Yelling out Josie Langmaids name, men in a search party are

       carrying lanterns and torches, which do not reflect light for

       a great distance.

       The wood is a thick one with a great deal of underbrush, and

       slow progress is made. They frantically call out Josie's name

       with hopes of finding her.

                           DANIEL T. MERRILL

                     (in a loud voice)

                 Josie,Josie Langmaid

       OFFICER HILDRETH leads the search.

       JAMES LANGMAID and son WALDO are among the searchers, but

       obviously more upset than the others.

                           WALDO LANGMAID

                 Josie!

                           LANGMAID

                 Josie, come on honey!

                           WARREN MARTIN

                 Josie,Josie Langmaid

       SUPERIMPOSE: PEMBROKE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, OCTOBER 4TH, 1875

       THOMAS BURLEIGH makes his way through bushes, trips over a

       log.

                           DANIEL T. MERRILL

                 Josie,Josie Langmaid

       One man, DANIEL F. COPP, a little bit ahead of the others,

       comes across something apparently horrid in the illumination

       from his lantern.

                                                            CUT TO:

2     INT. LANGMAID KITCHEN - NIGHT                                 2

       A CLOCK indicates that the time is 8:45 PM as MRS. LANGMAID

       sits uneasily at a table talking with Josie's teacher, MISS

       BELLE LAKE.

                           MISS BELLE LAKE

                 Well, I was a bit concerned when Josie

                 did not show up for her lessons today.

                 It's not like her to be tardy or truant.

                 Now, if we were talking about Sarah

                 Prentice,

                           SARAH LANGMAID

                     (looking nervously at clock)

                 I don't get it.

                           MISS BELLE LAKE

                 The entire matter baffles me. I asked

                 Waldo at school about Josie's whereabouts

                 and he said that he did not know,

                 Professor Walker told me Josie was

                 supposed to tutor an underclassman,

                           SARAH LANGMAID

                     (On the verge of tears and

                      rising from her seat)

                 I just don't understand it. Where is she? 

                 She was fine this morning. I'm going to

                 find her.

                           MISS BELLE LAKE

                 Sit down Sarah. The men will bring her

                 back.

                           SARAH LANGMAID

                 I can't take this waiting, Belle.

                           MISS BELLE LAKE

                     (trying to be comforting)

                 Remember two years ago when Flora Stevens

                 was missing and later it turned out that

                 she had taken the coach to Concord, She

                 had the entire town worried half to

                 death!