INT. CHILDHOOD HOME. DAY

SUPERIMPOSE: CHICAGO,1917

Along the outline of a door frame are lines marking the year and height measurements of K and A. AMELIA (13) gently runs her finger over the markings. Her finger stops suddenly on a marking set for A, her own, and begins to rub.

Slowly at first but the action soon becomes a violate effort to erase a portion of her past.

AVA (o.c.)

Meli, dear, are you ready?

The sound of her Aunts vibrant voice stops Amelia’s vicious rubbing.

Ava

There you are. Come, my love. We must be on our way.

Ava ( late 20s) makes a sweeping turn. She glides as she makes her way towards the front entrance, confident that her niece would follow.

As she stares after Ava a small sense of relief fills Amelia at the strength that Ava radiates.

In the now empty entrance hall, the two join KATHY (16) who’d been waiting for her and Amelia’s luggage. One suitcase for each them. Ava positions the sisters next to one another. Ignoring the muffled commotion outside, she exams their forms.

Ava

Listen, my dears. You must stand tall and hold your heads up high. Think of it as if you are on a stage.

She adjusts their postures.

Ava

Yes, like that. Those people out there know nothing about you. They can only guess from what they see. And what do we want them to see?

In unison

KATHY & AMELIA

Confidence

Ava

Yes, that’s right. Remember, show no tears. No remorse. No shame because you are not at fault. Right?

KATHY

Right.

Ava looks over at the silent Amelia. Bending down Ava loosens Amelia’s clutched fist. She looks Amelia in the eye and waits. The feeling of relief grows. She nods.

Amelia

Right.

AVA

Alright. Grab your bags and grip them tightly.

Ava stands between them but doesn’t hold their hands. She opens the door and they walk out.

EXT. OUTSIDE. Continous

A crowd of people flocks the entrance. A journalist with cameras takes photos nearly blinding them with the flash.

Two burly men, who’d been waiting on the porch, step out to block the crowd. The crowd of people yells mean and hateful things.

The three woman keep their heads held high as they move from the entrance towards the waiting car.

Along the way, a woman shoves a newspaper near Kathy’s face but she stares forward ignoring it.

Hateful woman

You little bitches have been living off our money. We own you.

A man tries to grab Amelia’s bag. Tightening her grip, she calmly moves it out his reach.

Angry man

You think you can get away with this? I’ll see your father hung before I give up.

The three woman get into the car. It pulls away.

Now in the car, Ava hugs them close.

Ava

Good job girls. Good job.

Amelia says nothing. She just stares at the bruise now forming on her finger.

FADE TO BLACK

OVER BLACK: 12 YEARS LATER

FADE IN

INT. THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. Library- EVENING

Amelia ( 25), dressed as a student, walks along bookshelves. She searches the shelves as if to look for a specific book. She looks up from the books when SHERMAN (the late 30s) walks by. She follows him outside of the library. She tries to get his attention.

Amelia

Excuse me, Professor?

Sherman continues out of the building.

EXT. UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO -CONTINUOUS

Professor Sherman Magraw exits the school’s science building after finishing his last class for the day. He stops to button his coat against the weather.

INT. J.C.’S CAR. CONTINuOUS

In the parking lot not too far away from the science building J.C. sits watching Sherman.

EXT. COLLEGE CAMPUS- continuous

As Sherman walks towards his car. Amelia,, approaches him. Her demeanor is of an overly familiar and flirtatious college girl.

AMELIA

Excuse me. Are you Professor Magraw?

SHERMAN

Yes?

AMELIA

Sherman Magraw?

SHERMAN

Yes, that is I. What can I do for you?

AMELIA

Oh wow, this is great. I knew that you worked here but I never figured I would actually get to see you.Do you have a bit of time to talk?

SHERMAN

Actually, I don-

AMELIA

It’s just that I don’t know when I’ll get another chance to show you just how much I admire you.

She moves closer to him. She lightly places her hand on his arm.

AMELIA

I just love your work. Your most recent thesis really got me fired up.

Her hand slides down his arm and she brushes her boob against him.

SHERMAN

Yes, well that’s good to hear. It’s always nice to have fans.

Amelia smiles seductively. She whispers in his ear.

AMELIA

Professor, I think we should find some place comfortable to talk. Don’t you?

His eyes widen. He reacts by snatching his arm away.

SHERMAN

I’m sorry but I must be going now. I have a prior appointment.

Sherman walks off towards the parking lot leaving Amelia looking after him.

INT. J.C.’S CAR. CONTINUOUS

Smoking a cigarette, J.C. watches as Sherman sits his things in the car before getting in.

J.C.’s passenger side door opens and Amelia slips in.

J.C. smirks and starts the car. Amelia narrows her eyes at him.

AMELIA

Shut Up.

J.C.’s smirk widens into a grin as he smokes his cigarette.

He starts the car and begins to follow Sherman.

Annoyed, Amelia snatches his cigarette away and smokes it. He begins to laugh out loud.

INT. J.C.’S CAR. LATER

J.C and Amelia use binoculars and watch as Sherman exits his car, then walks down the block to a club called Silk Lining. But instead of entering through the front he goes to a side door and knocks.

After a while, the door opens but Sherman doesn’t enter. He speaks to the person hidden by the open door.

The two sit silently while they watch. The conversation suddenly changes into an argument between Sherman and the hidden figure.

JC frowns as he watches.

Becoming agitated, Sherman quickly closes the distance between himself and the hidden person but is just as quickly shoved backward.

He catches himself on the nearby wall. A boot appears. The hidden person begins to step out when a truck pulls in front of J.C.’s car.

J.c.

Shit.

Amelia

Should I try to get closer?

J.C hesitates but then gives a nod of agreement.

The hidden person goes back inside slamming the door shut.

Amelia opens her car door and begins to slip out.

Ext. J.C.’S CAR. CONTINUOUS

Amelia squats down next to J.C’s car door and looks around.

There is a huge gap between her position and the nearest possible hiding place. Instead of rushing over and possibly getting caught she chooses to use the truck blocking their view as cover.

Moving closer she can catch a little of the conversation. She squats and slowly makes her way around the truck to get a better view.

Sherman

What.. you expect…to do? Huh? I’m tired… pretending. ..want us..be together. I-

The car starts and muffles the rest of the conversation. Amelia realizes she needs to find somewhere to hide.

Int. j.C.’S CAR. CONTINUOUS

J.C notices that the car is about to leave. He follows Amelia out.

Ext. truck- CONTINUOUS

She stands and the car moves. She is grabbed from behind a snatched back.

J.C’s hand covers her mouth as he uses his car to hide them.

Beat

He peeks around the car and sees that Sherman is staring towards the spot Amelia had been standing.

J.C

Shit.

The person Sherman was talking to is once again hidden. Sherman ends the conversation. The hidden person goes back inside and Sherman heads towards his car.

JC releases Amelia.

INT. J.C.’S CAR. MOMENTS LATER

J.C silently follows Sherman.

EXT. SHERMANS HOUSE. evenING

Sherman exits his car and enters his house.

INT. J.C.’S CAR. MOMENTS LATER

J.C and Amelia sit outside Sherman’s house.

AMELIA

My bad.

Sherman

Forget it. It’s not your fault.

Amelia

So, what now?

J.C.

Now we go home. Get some rest.

AMELIA

What about the club?

J.C.

We were hired to find out if he’s cheating. Nothing else. We’ll report. If she wants us to dig deeper then we will.

Amelia nods. J.C starts the car.

Ext. Sherman house- moments later.

J.C.’s car pulls away. The curtain in Sherman window drops into place.

Int. J.C.’S CAR. CONTINUOUS

Amelia climbs out of the car.

EXT. J.C.’S CAR. MOMENTS LATER

J.C’s car pulls off. Amelia looks at the light shining through a window from her house.

She turns away from it and walks away.

INT. AMELIA’S Batcave. later

Newspaper clippings and photos lay pinned systematically on the wall.

The sound of a shower running in the background.

The clippings disturb the old case about Amelia father.

Sitting on her dresser is a list of names. The names include addresses and some of them have times. More than 50 percent of the names are scratched out.

INT. BATHROOM – CONTINUOUS

Amelia finishes her shower and steps out. She wraps herself in a towel and leaves the room.

INT. BATCAVE LIVING ROOM- lATER

Amelia finishes dressing then grabs the list. Looks it over. She goes to the wall and reviews her research.

EXT. CAFE – LATER

Amelia hides in the shadows and watches a woman at a cafe with binoculars. Amelia takes a picture.

INT. BATCAVE LIVING ROOM- CONTINUOUS

Amelia stands in front of the wall of clippings. She posts a picture on the wall.

She looks at the time. It’s midnight.

Grabbing her jacket, she leaves.

INT. AMELIA’S HOUSE- LATER

Amelia enters the house quietly. Once up the stairs makes her way slowly past a door and enters her bedroom.

INT. KATHY’S ROOM – CONTINUOUS

Kathy opens her eyes at the sound of Amelia’s room door closing. She looks at the time. 12:30am.

INT. CLINT INVESTIGATIONS lobby OFFICE – morning

Detective COLIN (mid-thirties) from the Chicago police enters the agency. He’s dressed sharply in a three piece suit. He looks polished but the tattle tail signs of hard work show in the slight darkness under his eyes, the pencil stuck behind his ear with the chewed tip, and his scuffed shoes.

AMELIA

Oh hello, Detective.

COLIN

Good Morning Amelia. I’ve come to discuss another case.

Before she can answer him J.C. Interrupts.

J.C.

What new case?

J.C. stands in the door of his office smoking a cigarette.

Colin walks over to J.C who steps aside to let him into his office. But Colin doesn’t follow. He looks back to Amelia instead.

COLIN

Actually, I would love it if Amelia would listen in as well.

J.C. looks at Amelia. She shrugs lightly. He steps out of his office to join them in the lobby instead.

Colin pulls a file out of his briefcase and sits down at the round table they use for client conferences. The other two join him.

Colin pulls a photo out of the file.

COLIN

I heard from the wife that you were hired just yesterday to investigate this man. Look familiar?

J.C sighs.

J.C.

Sherman Magraw

Colin looks over at Amelia. She looks down at the photo of Sherman shot dead.n

AMELIA

Yes, that’s him.

INT. AMELIA’S HOUSE. LATER

KATHY (29)sits at a desk in the study typing on her typewriter. Amelia enters the house.

AMELIA

I’m home.

KATHY

Welcome back.

Kathy stands up and stretches. Amelia walks over to look at the work in the typewriter. She pulls out a cigarette.

AMELIA

It’s finished.

Noticing the cigarette, Kathy walks over to open the window.

KATHY

Yes, finally. My editor has been pulling his hair out waiting for me to fi-

Kathy is interrupted by a woman’s high-pitched laughter coming from outside the opened window.

AMELIA

What was that?

Amelia walks over and the two sisters look outside just in time to see their neighbor and a man enter the house next door.

Amelia

That’s not her husband, right?

Kathy

No. He’s probably on another business trip.

Annoyed, Kathy walks away. She begins to clean up her work.

KATHY

Ignore her. That woman has no morals.

Amelia simply lifts a eyebrow, knowing this wasn’t the end. Kathy continues, outraged.

 

KATHY

This isn’t the first time either. Our houses are so close I hear all kinds of things.

Amelia says nothing. She just smokes her cigarette.

Kathy

She goes at it with her husband. And then when he leaves she can’t last one night without finding a replacement. What could possibly make a woman give herself to so many men without a care?

AmELIA

Stress.

Kathy

(disgusted)

Stress?

Amelia blows out smoke showing her frustration for the first time.

Amelia

Yes, stress. Loneliness. Or maybe she just simply needs a good fuck.

(Bitter)

 Maybe it doesn’t matter as long as she doesn’t have to think.

KATHY

Sounds like a selfish excuse to do whatever she wants to make herself feel better. Maybe if she admits that then things would get easier.

AmelIA

Yeah, well….

Kathy watches Amelia. Amelia tries to ignore her but gives in.

AMELIA

What?

KATHY

Nothing. Never mind. I’m glad you’ve come in the house at a decent hour for once but I’m exhausted. I’m going straight to bed. Night.

AMELIA

Good Night.

Amelia looks around the room. Lonely.

FADE OUT

FADE IN:

INT. AMELIA’S ROOM. LATER.

Amelia rapped in a towel walks in towel drying her hair. She stops to lock her room door. Then grabs a night shirt out of the drawer to put it and a pair of underwear on.

Amelia reaches inside the drawer for the PJ bottoms but suddenly a knock sounds at her window. She goes on alert. She slowly moves her curtain back.

On the other side hanging slightly out her neighbor’s window across from her own is a man. His hair is disheveled, his shirt hangs open and there is a lipstick smug on his neck.

He waves for her to open up. Curious now, Amelia does so.

MICHEAL (26) does his best to sound charming under the circumstances.

MICHEAL

Excuse me, Miss, I’m sorry to disturb you but I was…ah.. wondering…

There is a door being flung open and hitting a wall. Its as if someone was fiercely searching rooms. A woman’s voice is heard yelling.

WOMANS VOICE (O.C.)

Honey please calm down and listen. It’s not what you think.

The man’s response is muffled.

Micheal tries again.

MICHEAL

As you can probably hear, I’m in a little bit of trouble. Do you …perhaps mind..if I…um..climb over into your room?

Amused, Amelia raises an eyebrow.

MICHEAL

I promise I’m not a bad man. I am actually one of the kindest out there.

AMELIA

Is that so?

MICHEAL

Yes, an-

WOMANS VOICE (O.C)

Please honey, calm down. Put down the gun.

Micheal gives up on charm.

MICHEAL

PLEASE!?!

Amelia steps back from the open window and waves Micheal in.

He quickly climbs over the short gap into her window. Just as his feet hit the ground the door to the room he was in burst open.

Amelia flicks off her room light quickly, hiding them in the shadows as the angry husband tears apart the room looking for him. They both dropped down when the husband looks out the window.

Finally, the man gives up on the search and leaves that room.

Micheal lets out a relieved sigh. Amelia laughs.

Micheal intrigued, watches as Amelia, in nothing but a shirt and panties struggles to hold in her laughter.

Amelia finally recovers from her laughter. Micheal stands and begins to fix his clothing.

MICHEAL

Let me introduce myself. Micheal Wilder.

All charm now, Micheal takes Amelia’s hand and helps her up.

MICHEAL

Thank you, Miss?

AMELIA

Just Amelia.

MICHEAL

Amelia, thank you. If he’d found me I would have died.

AMELIA

Probably.

Amelia walks over to the window and listens.

AMELIA

Looks like things have calmed down.

When she turns around to look at Michael she notices his eyes staring at her bare legs. Shaking her head she grabs her PJ pants out of the drawer and put them on.

Amelia

Come on. I’ll show you the way out.

Amelia unlocks the room door then grabs Micheal’s hand.

Micheal allows himself to pulled out of the room. Amelia tells him to stay quiet as they pass a bedroom door.

They travel down the stairs and to the front door. Amelia pokes her head out to see off the coast is clear.

AMELIA

Doesn’t seem as if he’s making his way outside.

She turns to Micheal whose watching her with interested eyes.

MICHEAL

I would like to thank you somehow. Would you like to have dinner with me?

AMELIA

That’s not necessary. Now leave before we wake my –

MICHEAL

Before your Father wakes up. Your right. I’ve escaped death once tonight already. I shouldn’t push it.

Amelia stiffens at the term father. She smiles bitterly.

AMELIA

That will not be a problem.

She shoves Micheal out of the door.

AMELIA

Bye.

She shuts the door in his face.

EXT. AMELIA’S HOUSE. MOMENTS LATER

Undaunted by the abrupt farewell, Micheal leaves the porch with a smirk.