Tuesday, October 28, 2025

scene 9

scene 8

INT. TOM'S TRUCK - DAY

Tom in aviator sunglasses drives slowly along a street lined by widely spaced handsome Southwest-style homes we know by the nearby Organ Mountains are in Hunter's neighborhood. Most homes have blue recycling bins at their curbs near their driveways, but not the home Tom stops at, idling. 

The open garage features a Range Rover SUV - "Rover" hereafter - and Honda Gold Wing motorcycle. Tom raises phone to take a picture just as Hunter comes through a side-of-house gate with blue recycling bin he begins to roll to driveway. Hunter stops when he looks up to see Tom aiming camera, lower it, stare back for a moment, then drive away up the street.


EXT. DRIVEWAY

Hunter rolls bin to street, watches truck.


INT.  TRUCK

HUNTER IN REAR VIEW MIRROR sets bin in place, watches truck. Tom turns onto street with house on the corner, stops where the house obscures him from Hunter's view, idles. 


EXT. DRIVEWAY

Hunter waits to see the truck come onto view, but it does not. He finally walks to garage, keeping his eyes on the neighbor's house. He stops at garage, waits, continues into house through door at back of garage. 


INT. TRUCK

Tom stares straight ahead, hands on the wheel, oblivious to the house's curtains parted. He finally makes the U-turn back to Hunter's street, turns onto it.  

scenes 8A/B

scene 7

A. INT. HOME OFFICE - DAY

Old wooden desk and swivel chair near door to hallway face big window view to nearby Organ Mountains east of Lad Cruces, New Mexico. A large framed map of the world on wall behind desk. 70s-era California Angels baseball cap and bucket hat on rack near door. Loaded bookshelf across from framed print of Ad Reinhardt Red Painting above old leather sofa. Navajo rug on hardwood . Saguaro cactus sculpture where bookshelf meets window, stool and telescope where window meets sofa. 

Printer on drawer-stand near desk. On desk: pens and pencils in New Mexico State University coffee mug atop legal pad; baseball atop hardcover copy of Jim Brosnan's book The Long Season; framed photograph of Chloe and a 50-ish man in the front seats of a roller-coaster in steep descent, their faces, like those of the passengers behind them, animated by excitement and apprehension; and a computer, screen showing text for two seconds before it gives way to the screensaver that is a photograph of Chloe flashing a smile and peace sign at the camera from where is crouched and "tubed" in the wave she is surfing in a wetsuit, Pismo Beach pier in the background. 

HUNTER, the man next to Chloe on the roller-coaster, enters. Athletic, running shoes, old jeans, unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt over tee. He opens text file, saves, closes, powers off computer, leaves.


B. INT. KITCHEN/DINING AREA - MOMENTS LATER 

High-end appliances, cabinetry, countertops. View into adjacent dining room and, through its big window and window over the kitchen sink, to the table, chairs and grill on the covered patio in the xeriscaped back yard bordered by a low stone wall beyond which are neighbors' homes and the Organ Mountains. Door to stone walkway to 

Keys, phone, bowl of peaches and bananas on center island. Calendar on refrigerator featuring picture of fireworks display is turned to July and days marked off to the 11th, that space filled with CHLOE written in blue pen. 

Hunter enters, gets half-empty bottle of water from fridge, drinks it in two gulps, tosses the bottle into plastic bag he pulls from bin in cupboard under sink, ties off the bag, leaves through door to patio, out of view.