YOU HAVE

She excitedly stops the wheelchair and leans over to the old lady.

ellen

What was that?  What did you say?

The old lady doesn’t seem to recognize her any more.

old lady

What do you want from me?

ellen

What you just said, about the two days...

old lady

I didn’t say anything!

Ellen looks at the social worker, hoping that he might help.

social worker

I didn’t hear anything.  Sorry.

Ellen doubtfully looks back and forth between the two of them.

ellen

I’m sorry...  I guess I was mistaken.

She quickly turns her back to this embarrassing situation and leaves.

66.       hallway outside of kosinski’s cell – int. / day

The MALE NURSE turns the key.  Before opening the heavy door, he gives Ellen a questioning look.

nurse

He has his clear moments every now and then.  But I wouldn’t get my hopes up high.

They both enter the cell.

67.       kosinski’s cell – int. / day

Frank Kosinski (approx. 70 years old now) is sitting at a desk.  He is busy putting newspaper articles into clear plastic folders and carefully sorting them away.

Ellen enters the room.  The nurse closes the door from inside and stays standing next to it. 

The room looks more like an office archive than the cell of a closed psychiatric clinic.  There are several shelves filled with neatly lined up files.

ellen

Mr. Kosinski?

The old man takes no notice of her.  Ellen steps up to him, obviously feeling very uncomfortable about it.

ellen

Mr. Kosinski, my name is Ellen Straub.  I live in your house out in Goldmoor... I mean, the house where you used to live.  There are a few questions I would like to ask you.

Kosinski does not react.  He seems so lost in his own world that he hasn’t even registered her presence.  He stubbornly continues sorting his papers.

ellen

Mr. Kosinski!  Can you hear me?

She waves her hand in front of his face.  No reaction.

Ellen realizes that she’ll have to come up with something else.

She walks to one of the shelves and pulls out a file titled “1976”.  Leafs through it.  She finds the article that Paul had brought the other night.

She lays it on the desk, right in front of Kosinski’s nose.

ellen

1976 – What happened back then?  You...

Now, she has his attention.  As if she had pushed the button of a tape recorder, Kosinski immediately begins to recite the article.  He seems to know it by heart.

kosinski

“October 4, 1976.  To this day, the cold-blooded murder at the remote homestead continues to bring up questions.  Investigations have shown no satisfactory results.  As was announced by a police spokesman ...”

Ellen gives the nurse a questioning look.

nurse

Never mind, it’s his usual number.

ellen

Yes.  That’s right.  What happened back then?

Although Kosinski has the news article right in front of him, he seems to be staring at the air.  Ellen tests him by taking away the news report.  Kosinski continues to recite.

Kosinski

“... another unsolved mystery is the question, why doors and windows had been nailed shut.  The murder suspect and only witness is still in a state of mental derangement. ...”

Again, Ellen tries to interrupt him.

ellen

Okay, fine.  I read that.  It’s written in the article.  What I want to know is:  What really happened back then?

Kosinski mechanically continues to speak.  Absolutely inanimate.

Kosinski

“... Friends and family describe him as a friendly, reliable husband.  He had been forced into closing his small trades business after bankruptcy.  It is uncertain whether this might have been cause for marital dispute...”

Ellen realizes that she cannot get through to him with words.  She finds a page on the desk that was torn out of a chronicle about Goldmoor.

ellen

August 17, 1869.

Kosinski

“August 17, 1869.  A messenger found Mr. and Mrs. Eugen and Wilhelmine Meister dead in their house.” 

With both astonishment and dismay, Ellen listens to the old man’s monotonous lecture.

kosinski

“...The police constable in charge found no traces.  The motive of the crime remains a mystery...”

Ellen turns to the nurse.

ellen

Could I please speak with him alone for a moment?

nurse

Are you sure?

ellen

I’ll be fine.  Thank you.

The nurse leaves the cell with a frown.

Ellen takes Kosinski’s chair and turns him around.  She looks straight into his blank eyes.

ellen

I am starting to get the impression that all of this is some kind of bad joke:  I’m seeing things that are not there, my own husband is becoming a total stranger and your old friend Lindner won’t tell me what he knows.  I have no idea what you’re trying to prove with this performance of yours, but I am not leaving this room before I hear the truth.

No reaction.  Kosinski continues to stare at nothing in particular.

Ellen gives up.  Shaking her head, she turns to the door.

kosinski

It’s a grave.

Ellen freezes and looks back at Kosinski.  She walks back over to him.

ellen

What?

Suddenly, Kosinski seems to have snapped out of his “autism”.  He is holding an old book in his hands.  The book contains clippings, notes and among others, a page that seems to have been torn out of another book.

It is an etching from the Middle Ages illustrating a man being pushed into the swamp by several villagers.

Ellen reads the text underneath the illustration:

ellen

“...Execution in the moor...”

All of a sudden, Kosinski grabs Ellen and pulls her close.  His eyes have a feverish glow.

kosinski

The moor... it’s one big grave.

CUT TO:

68.       entrance area / hallway – int. / night

Ellen enters the hallway.  She runs into Martin who is on his way up from the cellar.

When he sees Ellen, he shuts the cellar door and puts the key into his pocket again.  It seems as if he felt caught doing something.

ellen

            (sarcastic)

Let me guess:  Another short circuit?

martin

Hi, darling.

Martin ignores her comment and starts to head up the stairs to his study.

ellen

What is going on down there, anyway?  Why am I not supposed to go in the cellar?

Martin stops at the base of the stairway.

martin

I told you:  It’s too dangerous.  Besides, I have to work now.

He continues up the staircase.  Ellen follows him.

ellen

Martin, we need to talk.  I’ve done some research.  This lovely house of ours has a history of murder cases.

Martin does not stop walking, but his eyes show alarm.

ellen

Anyone who ever lived in this house either quickly moved back out, or fell victim to strange accidents, or ended up killing each other.

69.       study – int. / night

Martin sits down at his desk and immediately starts typing.  Ellen won’t give up so easy.

ellen

I know you don’t believe me, but at least hear me out.  Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed that we’ve been going through some strange changes since we moved here!

We hardly talk to each other any more, you’re writing like a madman and I’m having these visions.

Martin does not interrupt his work.

Ellen slams the articles from Kosinski on his keyboard.

ellen

Here, look at this!  Did you know that our house is built right on a spot where during the Middle Ages people were executed?  They simply threw the convicts into the moors, alive.

Martin shakes his head.  He smiles and shoves the articles aside.

martin

During the Middle Ages people were executed at every corner.  What’s your point?

ellen

This house, the whole damned area around here is one mass grave...  Now you might call me crazy, but there is something negative about the place.

martin

Okay, so the house has a history and there might still be a couple of corpses in the moors.

            (mocking)

“There is something negative about the place...”  What the hell are you trying to say?  Come on!  Spit it out!

Ellen twists around.

ellen

It’s like... a sickness!  And it’s gotten into our heads.

Now Martin gets aggressive.

martin

Will you finally cut it out?  Just in case you haven’t noticed, I am trying to write a book here.  And maybe - even with your birdbrains – you can figure it’s a pretty tough job.

So why can’t you just leave me alone?

ellen

Damn it, look at you!  Don’t you see what’s happening with you?  We need to get out of here, don’t you understand?  Out of this house!