cookie, oblivious of his blood-streaked hand.
MIKE On your feet.
LINOGE finishes the last bite of cookie and gets obediently to his feet.
86 EXTERIOR: MARTHA CLARENDON'S PORCH.
Beyond it, the snow is now coming hard, with the wind driving it into slanting lines. The houses on the far side of the street are misty, as if seen through a veil.
MIKE and LINOGE come out side by side, LINOGE with his hands cuffed at belt level, a look all of us are familier with from the evening news. HATCH is walking behind them, with the shotgun at port arms.
In the street, there are now about a dozen people clustered by the rear bumper of ROBBIE'S
Lincoln. When the men come out, ROBBIE crouches a little, and MIKE sees the man's little glove compartment gun pointed at them.
MIKE
Put that down!
Looking slightly ashamed, ROBBIE does.
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MIKE Hatch, close the door.
HATCH
Is that wise? I mean, aren't we supposed to leave stuff pretty much like it is? It being a crime scene, and all
MIKE
We leave the door open and the crime scene's going to be under six feet of fresh powder. Now close the door!
HATCH tries. One of MARTHA'S shoes is in the way. He squats. Grimacing, he moves her foot with one gloved hand. Then he gets up and closes the door. He looks at MIKE, who nods.
MIKE What's your name, mister?
LINOGE looks at him. There's a beat when we're not sure he's going to answer. Then: LINOGE
Andre Linoge.
MIKE
Well, come on, Andre Linoge. Let's get walking.
87 EXTERIOR: LINOGE, CLOSE-UP.
For just a moment, LINOGE'S eyes CHANGE. They SWIRL WITH BLACK, the blue irises and the whites disappearing. Then everything goes back to normal.
88 EXTERIOR: RESUME PORCH, WITH MIKE, HATCH, AND LINOGE.
MIKE blinks at the sight like a man trying to cope with a momentary attack of vertigo. HATCH
hasn't seen it, but MIKE has. LINOGE smiles at him, as if to say 'our little secret.' Then we see MIKE'S rationality reasserting itself, and he gives LINOGE a poke.
MIKE Come on. Move.
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They go down the steps.
89 EXTERIOR: ON THE CONCRETE PATH.
The storm blows snow past them, smacking their faces, making them wince. HATCH'S hat BLOWS
OFF. As he looks helplessly after it, LINOGE gives MIKE that look again, the one that says they have a secret. MIKE is less able to shake it off this time . . . but he gets LINOGE moving.
FADE OUT. THIS ENDS ACT 3.
Act 4
90 EXTERIOR: THE LITTLE TALL LIGHTHOUSE LATE DAY.
The snow flies past it so thickly we can only make out its shape . . . and of course its light, each time it swings around. The waves CRASH HIGH on the rocks of this promontory. THE WIND
SHRIEKS.
91 EXTERIOR: GODSOE FISH & LOBSTER LATE DAY.
This long building part warehouse, part retail fish market is far out on the dock. Waves smash into the dock, and foam splatters high, wetting the sides and roof of the building. As we watch, the WIND tears a door free of its latch. It begins to BANG BACK AND FORTH. Nearby, a tarp blows free of the boat it's covering and WHIRLS OFF INTO THE SNOWY DAY.
92 EXTERIOR: THE ANDERSON HOUSE LATE DAY.
A four-wheel drive is parked at the curb, by the WEE FOLKS sign. Its windshield wipers are clapping back and forth rapidly, but the glass is still snowing up. Its headlights cut twin cones through the snow-choked air. The WEE FOLKS sign swings back and forth on its chain. On the porch, MOLLY ANDERSON is handing over a bundled-up BUSTER CARVER and an equally bundled-up PIPPA HATCHER to their moms, ANGELA and MELINDA. THE CAMERA MOVES IN on the porch. All three women have to shout in order to be heard over the HOWLING WIND.
MELINDA
Pip, you sure you're all right?
PIPPA Yes. Don Beals hurt my feelings, but they're better now.
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MOLLY I'm sorry I had to call you early, guys . . .
ANGELA CARVER
It's okay. The radio says they're going to keep the bigger kids over in Machias, at least tonight . .
. the reach is too choppy to send them back on the water-bus.
MOLLY Probably for the best.
BUSTER Mommy, I'm cold.
ANGELA CARVER Coss you are but you'll be warm in the car, honey.
(to MOLLY) Are there more?
MOLLY Buster and Pippa are the last.
(to PIPPA) You had an adventure, didn't you?
PIPPA
Yes. Momma, I've got a smaller button!
She honks her own nose. Neither MELINDA nor ANGELA understand, but they laugh. It's cute; they understand that much.
ANGELA CARVER
We'll see you Monday, if the roads are open. Wave a bye, Buster.
BUSTER obediently waves a bye. MOLLY waves one back as the mothers carry their babies down the steps and into the increasing fury of the storm. Then she goes back inside.
93 INTERIOR: THE ANDERSON HOUSE FRONT HALL, WITH MOLLY AND RALPHIE.
There's a mirror about halfway down, by the telephone table. RALPHIE has pulled a chair over and is standing on it so he can look at that red mark on the bridge of his nose. It's a birthmark, but actually more cute than disfiguring.
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MOLLY hardly notices him. She's relieved to be in out of the storm, and even more relieved that her little charges have all been packed home for the day. She shakes the snow out of her hair, then takes off her parka and hangs it up. She looks at the stairs, winces at the memory of PIPPA'S
misadventure, then snorts laughter.
MOLLY
(to herself) The smaller button!
RALPHIE
(still looking in the mirror) Mommy, why do I have to have this?
MOLLY goes to him, plants her chin on his shoulder, and looks at him in the mirror. They make a rather lovely mother-and-son portrait that way. She reaches around and touches the little red mark on his nose with love.
MOLLY
Your daddy calls it a fairy saddle. He says it means you were born lucky.
RALPHIE Donnie Beals says it's a pimple.
MOLLY
Donnie Beals is a ... Donnie Beals is a nut.
She grimaces briefly. 'Nut' isn't the word she'd probably use, if given a free choice.
RALPHIE
I don't like it. Even if it is a fairy saddle.
MOLLY
Myself, I love it... but if you still feel the same way when you're older, we'll take you to Bangor and have it removed. They can do that now. Okay?
