Hope Falls Season 2 - Eagle Valley (12 page)

Though she had known Susan only a short time, she already felt a kinship with her. She knew it was silly and against her PI instincts to form a personal bond with someone she was investigating, but the woman was going through so much pain.

Erin
knew that whatever was going on, these people were the victims. Susan, Derrick, Cleo. Miriam had been the first victim.
Erin
was frustrated at her lack of progress. She had already been here a night and a day and had found out nothing. She took a deep breath. One day at a time, she told herself.

She watched Sophie kneel in front of the Easter Lilies that grew in the centre of the back garden. Watched as she pulled the flowers out at their roots and began to dig.

What the hell was going on here? She thought.

Sophie looked like she knew where she was digging, as if she were searching for something. As if she knew what she would find.

A shiver ran down
Erin
's spine as she watched Sophie lift a large wooden box out of the dirt and open the lid. From it, she pulled a gun. No, not just a gun.
Erin
watched as Sophie pulled out gun after gun, their dark metal menacing.

There were several varieties: two short handled pistols, three medium revolvers and a long barreled black gun that looked deadly.

Sophie was definitely working for someone else. Now, it was time to find out who. Legs heavy with fear, she stepped out behind the bushes she had been hiding behind and stepped into Sophie's line of sight.

"What are you doing, Sophie?"

Sophie whipped around, the pearl handled revolver clutched in her hands, pointing straight at
Erin
. Sophie smiled when she saw her. "Oh, it's you." Sophie giggled softly.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"It's none of your business." Sophie spat. "Besides, why should I tell you anything when you have secrets of your own."

Erin
felt as if she had been slapped. "What do you mean?"

"Miriam's cousin?" Sophie said the words softly. "Is that who you really are, Erin Parker? I think not." She walked towards
Erin
slowly, the gun held at her side now, pointing to the ground. "What is it you really want?"

When all else fails,
Erin
thought, play dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Sophie's smile deepened. "You know exactly what I'm taking about,
Erin
." She leaned in close to her, so close that
Erin
could smell her cheap perfume. And something else. It smelled a little like rancid meat. "I know who you really are." Sophie whispered.

Erin
jerked back. Okay, now this bitch was getting scary, she thought. "What the hell are you ON?"
Erin
spat at her. "What game are you playing?"

"Oh, don't you know?" Sophie's face-hardened for a second and
Erin
saw the hate that ran underneath her skin. "I'm playing THE game."

And then Sophie pointed her gun and fired.

INT: EAGLE VALLEY HOUE: KITCHEN

Derrick poured a cup of coffee for the three of them. Cleo and Madder sat at the kitchen table. The house as quiet, almost too quiet. It made Cleo uncomfortable. And then they heard the gun shot.

Cleo jerked, a spoon clattering to the floor. "What the hell was that?"

"It sounded like a gun shot to me." Madder said.

"I think you're right." Derrick said. He looked around the kitchen. "Where's Susan?" He asked.

"I think she's upstairs." Cleo said.

Derrick went upstairs and returned a few minutes later. "No, she's not there. Sophie and Erin are missing too."

Cleo snapped into action. "Madder, you check upstairs and Derrick check down here. I'll check the basement and we'll meet back here."

Minutes later, they all met back in the kitchen. "Any luck?" She asked.

"No." Derrick said. "I wonder where she could be."

Cleo knew whom he was asking about. The fact that Susan was nowhere in the house was troubling, considering their present state of affairs. "We should check the grounds." Cleo knew at that moment that they would not find Susan, that her daughter was gone.

They left the house and stood on the front lawn surveying the land around them. And then they saw it. Cleo pointed it out. "Over there," she said, "behind the bushes. It looks like a car." She knew that the car brought trouble.

Without a word, the three of them approached the black car that was covered by the bushes, the black metal peeking through the green leaves.

When they got to the car, they saw a shape inside, but there was no movement. Cleo felt as if she were going to be sick. There was death here.

Derrick reached forward and opened the driver's side door, letting it open slowly. That was when the body fell out of the car and slumped to the ground, blood dripping onto the grass.

Chapter Twenty Seven

EXT: EAGLE VALLEY HOUSE: Bushes

They stared at the woman's face and for a long time none of them said a word. She had been shot at close range and blood spattered the inside of the car. Pieces of her brain littered the window behind her head where the bullet had exited. Derrick had wondered why he hadn't noticed the crack in the glass from the bullet, the spidery cracks of the window that were now outlined more heavily in red.

Finally, Derrick spoke. "I know her." And then something clicked. There could be others. He grabbed Cleo's hand. "Back to the house, now."

"Derrick, what's going on?"

"She's one of the assassin's from three years ago, the one that went after Miriam the first time."

"Oh my god," she said, holding a hand to her mouth. "Does that mean that Howard-"

"Back to the house, now!" Madder screamed.

They ran like the wind, not stopping, hearts beating, until they closed the door behind them with a soft muted click. And then they heard another click behind them.

CAMERA SWITCHES TO:

[SOPHIE STANDING IN THE FOYER OF THE HOUSE, HOLDING A WOUNDED
ERIN
IN HER ARMS. IN HER OTHER HAND IS THE
PEARL
HANDLED REVOLVER.]

"You just made your first mistake." Sophie said.

"Sophie?!" Derrick said. "What are you doing? What happened to
Erin
?"

"I happened to
Erin
." She smiled widely.

Erin
, for her part, was trying hard to maintain consciousness. Blood was pouring quickly from the bullet hole in her left shoulder. Her skin was pale from the blood loss, but her bright red hair seemed to compliment the blood decorating her shirtfront.

"I'm sorry."
Erin
spluttered. "I tried to find out…"

Sophie pushed her to the floor and kicked her in the ribs.
Erin
doubled over into the fetal position. "Did I say you could talk? Did I?"

Cleo rushed to
Erin
's aid. She smoothed the hair from
Erin
's face. "It's alright, honey. You did nothing wrong."

"God you make me sick. You just make me so sick, all of you; your kindness is like a disease."

"Why are you doing this Sophie?" Derrick asked.

"Why am I doing this?" Her voice raised up a pitch. "WHY am I doing this? That's the million-dollar question isn't it? Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Where's Susan?" Derrick spat.

"What do you mean where's Susan? She's in the damn house, she's the one we wanted."

"We?" Madder asked. Sophie had forgotten he was in the room. "Who's we?"

Sophie smiled. "Oh, you'll find that out in just a bit. But first where is Susan?"

"You don't know where she is?" Cleo asked.

"She was supposed to be in the house! She's the one we need!"

"You mean you don't know where she is?" Derrick asked.

"No! She was supposed to be here!" Her voice had raised to a fever pitch now. "Dammit!" she screamed and fired a shot at Derrick. The bullet landed in his left leg and he crumpled to the ground.

Derrick screamed out and clutched his leg where blood was already pouring out.

"Right on the ground, just where I want you. Do any of you want a bullet?"

Cleo and Madder shook their heads. "We'll do whatever you need, Sophie." Cleo said softly.

"Yeah, you will won't you." With a grimace, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. She waited a beat and then spoke: "Howard? We have a problem…"

INT: THE DARK CAGE

Susan had now spent an unknown amount of time in her prison. Her mysterious captor had not returned. She had no idea how long she had been in the cage. There was only the little bit of light that fell into her cage to see by. There were no windows and no indication of whether or not it was light or dark outside.

Susan made a noise deep in her throat that sounded like a growl. Whoever this guy was, he had pissed her off and she would make him regret it. Howard couldn't send his goons after her and not expect a fight.

She looked around her prison. She had to think of a way out of here. She was about to get up and see if the lock on the cage would break when she heard the door to the room open and close.

Her captor had returned.

Chapter Twenty Eight

INT: HOPE FALLS STUDIOS

"What do you mean we have a little problem?" Howard said gruffly.

"Well, it's about one of the captured…" Her voice was tinny over the telephone. Howard's hand clenched into a fist as he looked out at the world below him. Streets filled with cars and with people, shinny things that attracted attention, strings to be pulled. He had been a manipulator for quite some time.

It was an art form, really. That was what other people didn't understand. They didn't comprehend that even in death, sex was life's greatest pleasure. That moment, when caught on camera, was worth millions.

And there were people who would pay dearly for the pleasure of seeing someone die in that brief moment of euphoria. That was how
Hope
Falls
had started. He had been the manipulator of many people, many times, and each time, they seemed to get more stupid.

"Well, it's about…one of the…hostages."

"Spit it out." Howard barked "Didn't I tell you not to show them any fear? Why are you calling, Sophie?" Howard sighed. He could feel her wither, even over the telephone. She was afraid of him. As well she should be.

"Susan is missing."

Howard was silent for a moment before he responded. The silence was deathening. "What do you mean missing?"

"I mean just what I said. I got all of them, even that
Erin
chick. But someone got to Betty before me."

Howard's heart stopped. "What do you mean, Betty?"

"What do you mean what do I mean, Betty? She's dead, Howard, someone shot her. I was gonna take her out, so there'd be no one left to watch, but dead. Her head's been shot in."

Howard was silent for a long time before he said: "Betty wasn't part of the deal."

"Yeah, but I didn't do it Howard." Sophie's voice was beginning to rise. "I mean I heard them screaming and she's gone, okay, gone!" Her voice was shrill now. "I'm tired, I freaking hurt and I haven't bathed in two days! I'm tired Howard!"

"Calm yourself." He barked. "Have some class for frig sakes."

"I'm all classed out Howard." She sighed. "What's going on here? Where is Susan? Who shot Betty?"