enforcement on Little Tall.

MIKE

Town meeting's in March. This is February. Now get the hell out.

ROBBIE leaves. MIKE and HATCH hold their positions for a moment, and then MIKE lets out his breath in a long WHOOSH. HATCH looks

relieved.

89

MIKE I think I handled that pretty well, don't you?

HATCH Like a diplomat.

MIKE takes another long, steadying breath. He opens the sandwich bags. As he and HATCH finish talking, he puts the bloody gloves in two bags, and the cap in a third.

MIKE I have to go out and

HATCH You're going to leave me alone with him?

MIKE

Try to raise the state police barracks in Machias. And stay away from him.

HATCH I should say you can count on that.

138 INTERIOR: THE REAR OF THE MARKET, BY THE MEAT COUNTER.

Perhaps two dozen TOWNSFOLK have clogged the aisles, looking hopefully and fearfully toward the constable's office door. To one side, glowering like a banked furnace, is ROBBIE. ROBBIE has now been joined by the other two members of his family . . . wife SANDRA and the charming DON, from day care. In the forefront of the TOWNSFOLK is MOLLY, with RALPHIE in her arms. When the door opens and she sees MIKE, she hurries forward. MIKE puts a reassuring arm around her.

RALPHIE

You didn't hurt him, Daddy, did you?

MIKE No, honey, just put him safe.

RALPHIE In the jail? Did you put him in the jail? What did he do?

MIKE Not now, Ralph.

He kisses the fairy saddle on RALPHIE'S nose and turns to the gathered people.

90

MIKE

Peter! Peter Godsoe!

People look around, MURMURING. After a moment or two, PETER GODSOE shoulders forward, looking embarrassed and blustery (also a little frightened).

PETER GODSOE

Mike, about what that fellow said that's the biggest crock of MIKE

Uh-huh. Go on back there with Hatch. We're gonna watch this guy, and it's gonna be by the buddy system.

PETER GODSOE

(immensely relieved) Okay. You bet.

He goes through the door to the constable's office. MIKE, his arm still around MOLLY, faces his neighbors.

MIKE I feel like I have to have to close the store, folks.

(murmurs of reaction)

You're welcome to take what you've got; I trust you to settle up when the storm's over. Right now, I've got a prisoner to deal with.

A worried-looking middle-aged woman, BELLA BISSONETTE, pushes forward.

DELLA

Did that man really kill poor old Martha?

More murmurs this time FRIGHTENED, UNBELIEVING. MOLLY is looking at her husband tensely.

She also looks as if she wishes she could strike RALPHIE temporarily deaf.

MIKE

In time you'll have the whole story, but not now. Please, Delia all of you help me do my job.

Grab your stuff and go home before the storm gets any worse. I want a few of you men to stick around a minute or two longer. Kirk Freeman . . . Jack Carver . . . Sonny Brautigan . . . Billy Soames

. . . Johnny Harriman . . . Robbie . . . that'll do for a start.

91

The men move forward as the others turn and start to go. ROBBIE looks typically puffed up with self- importance. BILLY has a wad of paper towels pressed to his nose.

139 INTERIOR: THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE.

HATCH is at the desk, trying to use the radio. PETER looks at the cell, with nervous fascination.

LINOGE, sitting on the bunk, looks back from between his spread knees and cocked feet.

HATCH

Machias, this is Alton Hatcher on Little Tall. We have a police emergency here. Do you read, Machias? Come on back, if you read.

Lets go of the button. There's nothing but STATIC.

HATCH Machias, this is Alton Hatcher on channel 19. If you read PETER GODSOE

They don't. You've lost your good antenna off your roof.

HATCH sighs. He knows it, too. He turns down the SOUND, muting the STATIC.

PETER GODSOE Try the phone.

HATCH gives him a startled look, then picks up the phone. He listens, pushes a few buttons at random, then hangs up.

PETER GODSOE

No, huh? Well, it was a long shot.

PETER looks back toward LINOGE, who is staring at him. HATCH, meanwhile, is looking at PETER

with some fascination.

HATCH

You don't really have a load of Panama Red out there behind your lobster traps, do you?

92

PETER looks at him . . . and says nothing.

140 INTERIOR: THE REAR OF THE MARKET, FEATURING MOLLY, RALPHIE, MIKE.

The townspeople are on the move (except for the little group of men MIKE has singled out), draining toward the front of the market and the outside world. There's a STEADY JINGLING from the bell over the door as folks leave.

MOLLY

You going to be all right?

MIKE Coss.

MOLLY When will you be home?

MIKE

When I can. Take the truck you won't get three hundred yards in the car. I've never seen it come down s'hard 'n' fast.

I'll use the Island Services truck, or get someone to drop me off when this is squared away. I have to go back to Martha's house long enough to secure it.

There are a thousand questions she'd like to ask, but really can't. Little pitchers have big ears.

She kisses him on the corner of the mouth and turns to go.

141 INTERIOR: BY THE CASH REGISTER, WITH CAT AND TESS MARCHANT.

CAT is still SOBBING. TESS holds her and rocks her, but we can see she (TESS) is pretty blown away by what LINOGE said. MOLLY gives TESS a questioning look as she carries RALPHIE toward the door. TESS nods, as if to say she's go it under control. MOLLY nods back and goes on out.

142 EXTERIOR: IN FRONT OF THE MARKET.

MOLLY carries RALPHIE carefully down the steps in what has become a BLINDING SNOWSTORM.

She walks toward THE CAMERA, having to brace against the wind with every step . . . and this baby is just getting warmed up.

93

RALPHIE

(shouting to be heard) The island won't blow away, will it?

MOLLY

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