1.14 - Click

Written by: Erin Maher, Kathryn Reindl 
Directed by: Scott Lautanen
Transcribed by: pinkpaisley

CUT TO A STREET IN BEVERLY HILLS
[Mick is in a car with Tierney Taylor. They are being chased by paparazzi and they are speeding]

MICK: They’re still on us. Whoakay, this is a one way street.

TIERNEY: So? I’m going one way.

MICK: Yeah, the wrong way.

TIERNEY: Hang on.

MICK: Okay, you can’t die. You can’t die. You cannot die.

TIERNEY: What?

MICK: Nothing. It’s fine.

CUT TO A RESTAURANT
[Beth is having lunch with ADA Ben Talbot]

BEN: Listen, I’ve worked with many DA’s offices and whenever you get a new boss… Well, everybody runs things differently. You know, it’s all about personality.

BETH: Yeah, but Maureen is what made BuzzWire work for me. She was totally supportive of the kind of stories I wanted to pursue.

BEN: And your new boss isn’t?

BETH: I don’t know yet. He’s calling a big meeting this afternoon to discuss BuzzWire’s new direction.

BEN: Which might not include stories about demented college professor’s or serial killers?

BETH: You’ve looked up my stories.

BEN: Yeah. They’re not what I expected.

BETH: What do you mean?

BEN: They’re not all fluff.

BETH: Thanks. I think.

CUT TO STREET
[Tierney is still trying to lose the paparazzi]

TIERNEY: I can shake ‘em.

[She hits the brakes and turns the car around and speeds off into the direction of an intersection with cars approaching]

MICK: No, no, no, no! Oh, God! You did it. You lost them.

TIERNEY: That V-turn gets them every time.

MICK: Okay, so you’ve done that before.

TIERNEY: ‘Fraid so. Welcome to my world.

CUT TO A RESTAURANT
[Beth is having lunch with ADA Ben Talbot]

BETH: So, you’ve been reading my stories, you’ve asked me to lunch. Why?

BEN: Nothing of various. I just wanted to learn more about you. We did some pretty heavy stuff together.

BETH: Yeah, it’s not like you get kidnapped by a plastic surgeon every day.

BEN: We almost died, you know. And I keep wanting to talk about it, but I can’t seem to explain it to most people.

BETH: Well, you can’t, unless you’ve experienced it. There’s no point of reference.

BEN: Exactly. You know, I still don’t understand how Mick and that other guy got us out of there.

[Tierney’s car pulls up to the restaurant and she is immediately surrounded by the paparazzi]

BEN: Who is that?

MICK: Where did you learn to drive like that?

TIERNEY: Three sessions at the NASCAR training track. Oscar Gift Bag, 2006.

PAPARAZZI: Tierney!!

MICK: Thanks.

TIERNEY: You ready?

[Mick and Tierney get out and walk to the restaurant. Mick sees Beth there]

BEN: Is that Tierney Taylor?

BETH: Yeah. Making her ‘Look at me, I’m a celebrity’- entrance.

MICK’S VOICE OVER: Being human again, however briefly, put me back out into the world. And it made me realize I was tired of hiding. Beth was right when she said that being a vampire doesn’t have to define me. Maybe I can use my job to live in both worlds. But jumping into this world makes me feel like I’ve gone straight from the Minor Leagues to the World Series. Welcome to Hollywood.

[Mick’s picture is taken with Tierney as they enter the restaurant. A paparazzo walks up to them]

MICK: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Too close!

PAPARAZZO: There’s no such thing.

CUT TO RESTURANT
[Mick is having lunch with Tierney, and Beth is having lunch with Ben]

TIERNEY: Are you sure you’re not hungry?

MICK: Yeah, I had a big breakfast. Doesn’t this bother you?

TIERNEY: It’s expected here. Or Kitson, The Grove. Any place they think a celebrity will show up. But they were waiting outside my house this morning like they knew exactly what time I was leaving.

MICK: They shouldn’t have. I sent fake schedules to your manager, your agent, your publicist.

TIERNEY: Well, we know it’s not them to tip of the paparazzi.

MICK: No, somebody close to you, like a friend. Your boyfriend.

TIERNEY: No, no way. This nightmare is affecting Scott too.

MICK: Doesn’t Scott’s band have a new album that’s coming out? Look, I’m just saying that maybe he wants the publicity.

TIERNEY: I get it. I’m a celebrity, I chose to live my life in the public eye, but I at least have to have a couple people in my life that I can trust.

MICK: That’s why you hired me. To make sure you trust the right people.

[Jason Abbott approaches their table]

JASON: Well, well, well, if it isn’t my favourite movie star!

TIERNEY: Jason!

JASON: Tierney. Honey, you look fabulous as usual. Ah, this one’s new.

TIERNEY: Oh, no, Jason, this is Mick St. John. He’s overseeing some new security arrangements. Mick, this is Jason Abbott, he’s producing my new movie Lusitania.

JASON: And this little girl is the reason for Lusitania. We’re gonna have a billion dollar franchise on our hands.

TIERNEY: Yeah, now that we finally have a start date. I am so excited.

JASON: Well, this movie could never happen without you.

TIERNEY: Jason, stop. Would you two excuse me? I’m gonna go to the ladies room.

[Cut to outside of the restaurant. Mick is ready to leave with Tierney. Beth walks up to him]

BETH: Hot lunch date?

MICK: Very hot. And it’s sunny, definitely too much sun. It’s not a date.

BETH: Are you working for Tierney Taylor?

MICK: What do you know about her?

BETH: Just what everybody does. What her favourite colour is, everybody she’s ever dated, what she had for dinner last night.

MICK: Right. Look, I’ve been meaning to call you about the other night.

BETH: The other night when you kissed me?

MICK: So eh, how do you wanna do this?

BETH: It’s called dating.

MICK: Right. We ehm, we go out, get to know each other.

BETH: You’ve known me since I was 4.

MICK: Okay, it’s weird when you say it like that. [They both laugh]

[Tierney is coming out and the paparazzi are calling her name. Mick gets in the car with her]

CUT TO JOSEF’S OFFICE
[Mick walks in]

MICK: Hey, hey!

JOSEF: How was lunch?

MICK: What? Are you following me?

JOSEF: Not me.

[He shows Mick his computer with a picture of Mick and Tierney at lunch. The headline reads: Tierney’s New… Hottie!]

JOSEF: Hottie, huh? You should put it up on your Facebook page.

MICK: You’ve seen my Facebook page?

JOSEF: Of course I’ve seen your Facebook page.

MICK: Did you like it?

JOSEF: Yeah. But I was surprised that Mr. Skulk in the Shadows is suddenly all over the internet.

MICK: Yeah, well, you know I wanna expand my business and I’ve realized that I need to put myself out there a bit more, so…

JOSEF: Your flashy new client will certainly see to that. Now, this Tierney girl-

MICK: Yes. I know, I know. She’s a celebrity and you’re concerned that I’m endangering myself with this kind of public exposure.

JOSEF: Yeah.

MICK: But don’t worry, dad, I’ll eh, I’ll be careful.

JOSEF: Don’t call me that.

MICK: Well, you did turn me.

JOSEF: Re-turned you. Re-turned. And you were gonna become a vampire again anyway. I’m not your sire.

MICK: You’re kind of my step-sire, though.

JOSEF: No. Now, you wanna know what I was gonna say? I was gonna say that Tierney reminds me of Jean Harlow.

MICK: You went out with Jean Harlow?

JOSEF: I mostly stayed in with Jean Harlow. And if I were going to give you advice, which I’m not, I’d say go for it. Have some fun. And for somebody that has finally decided to join the 21st century, you’re going from zero to sixty in about half a second.

MICK: Jean Harlow?

JOSEF: Yeah.

CUT TO BUZZWIRE
[Grant Lewis, the new boss at BuzzWire is holding a meeting]

LEWIS: As reporters you valve in scrupulous about researching your stories and checking your sources and not intruding into people’s privacy. And while you’ve been doing that, BuzzWire has been scooped on an hourly basis by TMZ and Perez Hilton and Ain’t It Cool News. So, new rule: if you hear Amy Winehouse is out snorting vodka shots with Prince Harry, run with it. Yeah?

BETH: And if it’s not true?

LEWIS: We’ll retract it later. So, off you go, my little scoopsters. Get me that news! [The reporters leave]

BETH: Hi, Mr. Lewis, I’m Beth Turner.

LEWIS: Oh, I know. I’ve had my eye on you.

BETH: Really?

LEWIS: I hear you have an in with Tierney Taylor’s new boyfriend.

BETH: Scott Walsh?

LEWIS: Mick St. John.

BETH: Oh, he’s not Tierney’s boyfriend, he’s a private investigator.

LEWIS: Even better. More likely to have the inside scoop on the curse.

BETH: The curse?

LEWIS: On Tierney’s new movie. The Jason Abbott Lusitania thing? The start date has been pushed back like three times.

BETH: So, you think there’s a supernatural curse on the movie?

LEWIS: Of course not. But it makes for a great headline. So, Abbott’s throwing a party for the movie tonight. I scored you an invite. And since you’re in so tight with her new hottie, I’m expecting you to come back with something hot.

BETH: Okay.

LEWIS: Okay?

CUT TO THE DOCK
[The party is on the Queen Mary. Mick is looking from a distance at Tierney’s arrival]

MICK’S VOICE OVER: The last time I saw the Grey Ghost was December 1942. I was with my regiment sailing from New York to England, scared to death. Off the coast of Scotland, we got hit by a 92 ft. wave, almost capsized. Some guy wrote a book about it. He called it The Poseidon Adventure, exaggerated things a bit, but I like to think the Gene Hackman character was based on me.

[The paparazzo from before walks up from behind and takes pictures]

MICK: Ah, please. Don’t shoot.

DEAN: Tierney Taylor’s new boyfriend.

MICK: Who I am is none of your business. Who are you?

DEAN: Dean Foster. And actually, everything that Tierney does: it is my business.

MICK: That’s called stalking.

DEAN: That’s called making a living.

MICK: Oh yeah? You getting any help with that? Anyone close to Tierney been tipping you of?

DEAN: You think I would tell you that?

MICK: Look, I get the whole obsessed fan thing. You’ve seen all her movies, you feel like there’s some connection there.

DEAN: Listen, I don’t give a damn about Tierney. The only thing I care about is how much I can make off her. Girl’s my ride, man. [Mick grabs him] Dude, I’ve been knocked out by guys way more famous than you. So, go ahead, hit me. And then we’ll see how much I can squeeze out of you. Come on.

MICK: [laughs] I don’t have time for trash like you. [He walks away]

CUT TO THE BAR OF THE SHIP
[Tierney walks up to Mick]

TIERNEY: I told you this was a paparazzi-free night. You’re here to have a good time.

MICK: You don’t pay me to party.

TIERNEY: I don’t pay you to be my bodyguard either. Why don’t you just think of it as a night off? Go talk to you friend.

MICK: What friend? [They look over to Beth’s table. She is sitting with Abbott and several other men]

TIERNEY: I saw you with her at lunch.

MICK: Yes, she’s ehm… I think we’re dating.

TIERNEY: You think?

MICK: Well, it’s complicated.

TIERNEY: Can you be yourself with her?

MICK: Mostly, yeah.

TIERNEY: Then uncomplicate it. Scott! Let’s go, baby.

SCOTT: Sure. [They walk off]

CUT TO THE DECK
[Mick is talking to Beth]

BETH: That was the most boring conversation of my entire life. Tierney’s producer has the most unbelievable ego.

MICK: What about the other guys? Were they Abbott’s bodyguards?

BETH: Investors. They’re paying for the movie and this party.

[They look over to Tierney and some friends]

TIERNEY: Oh, my God, Scott. Isn’t that hilarious?

BETH: Look like Tierney’s having fun.

MICK: Yeah, she doesn’t get to relax much.

BETH: So, ah, where does a vampire take a girl on a date?

MICK: I don’t know. The usual places.

BETH: Probably not a lot of restaurants. I’m guessing you get bored watching women eat.

MICK: Actually, I haven’t exactly been in a romantic relationship with a human since I became a vampire.

BETH: What? You mean, you haven’t…?

MICK: Not with a human.

BETH: Wow.

MICK: It’s not like you’ve slept with a vampire.

BETH: Maybe once in college, but I was really drunk.

MICK: Right.

[They both lean in, but Tierney’s voice interrupts them]

TIERNEY: What else are you doing behind my back?

SCOTT: I can’t believe you don’t trust me.

TIERNEY: How can I when you do stuff like this?

SCOTT: I’m not the one keeping secrets, Tierney. [Scott walks off]

MICK: I’ll see you back inside. [He runs over to Tierney] Are you okay?

TIERNEY: It’s nothing.

MICK: It looked like something to me.

TIERNEY: It’s a misunderstanding. That’s all. I’m gonna go to my stateroom, fix my face.

MICK: Okay. I’ll come with.

TIERNEY: No, I’m fine. You really are very nice.

CUT TO THE BAR
[Mick is looking for Beth]

MICK: There you are. I’ve been looking for you. I’m sorry about that.

BETH: Not a problem. Look, I gotta get back to BuzzWire and fabricate a hot story.

[Mick hears something fall in the water]

MICK: Did you hear that?

BETH: What?

[They run to the deck and see Tierney’s body in the water. Mick jumps after her]

BETH: It’s Tierney. Mick. No!

CUT TO THE DOCK
[There are photographers everywhere. Tierney’s body is being taken away and a man is trying to make a photo of her body]

MICK: Hey, show some respect.

MAN: For what? Some drunk actress who fell overboard? [Mick grabs the man’s phone and throws it away] Hey, hey!

MICK: You wanna go for a swim too?

BETH: Excuse me. Was she drunk?

MICK: No, she wasn’t drunk. I would have smelled it on her.

BETH: Where are you going?

MICK: Tierney’s stateroom.

CUT TO TIERNEY’S STATEROOM
[Mick is searching the room]

BETH: It had to be an accident. Who would have a reason to kill Tierney?

MICK: Nobody I know of. But since I was reviewing the security- If she was in danger, I should have known about it.

BETH: You can’t think this is your fault.

MICK: I told her she could trust me, that I’d look out for her. And now she’s dead.

[Mick walks to the other side, but smells something]

BETH: What is it?

MICK: Blood. [He points to an anchor] This was wiped and put back.

BETH: Somebody hit her?

MICK: She was dragged from the room. Tierney was murdered.

[Ben Talbot and another man walk in]

BEN: Well, well, well, what a pleasant surprise.

BETH: What are you doing here?

MICK: He’s here because the DA’s office wants to make sure that the police don’t screw up another high-profile celebrity case. Is that right?

BEN: Either way, I need you both to clear the scene.

MICK: The display case.

BEN: What about it?

MICK: That anchor is your murder weapon. [Mick and Beth leave]

BEN: Bag it.

CUT TO BUZZWIRE
[Beth walk in and her boss stops her]

LEWIS: What amazing luck. You being on the scene like that. TMZ didn’t have anyone there and Perez Hilton was just sitting at home waiting for somebody to email him. I already have the headline: Wild child Tierney takes drunken plunge.

BETH: Tierney wasn’t drunk.

LEWIS: Okay, if we’re wrong, we’ll do a retraction, but in the mean time-

BETH: It’s okay that people think she deserved what she got?

LEWIS: I can’t help what people think.

BETH: There is a chance this was murder.

LEWIS: Seriously?

BETH: Yes. But don’t post this until I have the facts straight or I’m not writing it and you have no on-the-spot story.

LEWIS: This would go so great with murder. Okay, I’m thinking splash page. [He shows her a photograph of Tierney’s body floating in the water] Don’t ask me what I paid for it.

BETH: Where did you get this?

LEWIS: Dean Foster. And he’s got more where that came from.

CUT TO THE MORGUE
[Guillermo is writing a rapport on Tierney. Mick walks in]

GUILLERMO: Mick! Welcome back to the land of the undead. Here for a little A-Positive? I restocked.

MICK: No, I’m here about Tierney.

GUILLERMO: Yeah, it’s a shame. I liked her movies.

MICK: I never actually saw one.

GUILLERMO: She did a bunch of teen movies. Not really my thing, but the matinee at the Chinese Theatre: best air-conditioning in town. Like a giant freezer unit.

MICK: Yeah, a free freezer that smells like popcorn.

GUILLERMO: Dude, I sleep here. Popcorn would be a huge improvement.

MICK: You know the press are saying that this was an accident. That she was drunk.

GUILLERMO: You know her blood alcohol was normal. The COD was a temporal skull fracture.

MICK: So, she was hit in the head?

GUILLERMO: Yeah, with this anchor. I found traces of her blood on it and the shape matches the fracture.

MICK: Where did you get that?

GUILLERMO: ADA Talbot brought it in.

[Cut to hallway, Beth runs into Mick]

BETH: Hey.

MICK: Hey. Guillermo confirmed it. Tierney was dead before she hit the water. Someone at the party killed her.

BETH: I came to show you this. [She hands him the photograph] Grant bought it off a paparazzo named Dean Foster.

MICK: I ran into him on the dock before the party.

BETH: To get the shot he had to be on the boat, so how did he get past security without an invite?

MICK: I don’t know. Maybe whoever is leaking him information got him in. Look, I gotta speak to Tierney’s boyfriend, Scott. I gotta find out what they were arguing about.

BETH: I would love to help, but Grant insists I speak to Tierney’s producer. He wants a quote using the words ‘movie’ and ‘cursed’.

MICK: Listen, once you’re done, you-you wanna come by and we could share some information?

BETH: I’d like that.

[They walk outside and see paparazzi waiting]

BETH: They weren’t here five minutes ago. Who are they after?

PAPARAZZO: Hey, Tierney’s boyfriend! Over here! [They go after Mick]

MICK: Go, save yourself.

BETH: See you later.

[Mick climbs the building to the roof, but two boys are there taking his picture]

MICK: Hey, hey. You little punk. Give me that camera!

KID #1: Are you kidding? You know how much this thing costs?

[Mick vamps out, but so do the kids]

MICK: The camera, Lost Boy. [The kid hands him the camera and Mick takes out the memory card] You should be ashamed of yourself, making a living like this. Talk about bloodsuckers.

KID #2: It’s perfect. We work at night and we can get places other people can’t.

[The kid lights a cigar]

MICK: A cigar? Really?

KID #2: What? It’s gonna stop my growth?

MICK: What can you tell me about Dean Foster?

KID #2: He’s a little intense for the work.

KID #1: Yeah, most of us will take a picture of anyone. But Ol’ Dean, well, let’s just say he likes diversity in his subject matter.

MICK: Let me guess: Tierney Taylor. Where can I find him?

KID #2: Nobody’s seen him since she died. He’s probably curled up in his shrine room, crying.

MICK: Hmm. Can you keep your colleagues off me?

KID #2: In the name of vamp solidarity, we’d love to help. But…

KID #1: You’re a celebrity PI now. You’re the story, dude.

CUT TO MOVIE LOT
[Beth is riding in a cart talking to Jason Abbott]

JASON: Yeah, the movie’s dead. The studio pulled the plug.

BETH: I heard the studio thinks the movie was cursed.

JASON: Sometimes I even think there was a curse. You know, every time when we were ready to roll, something happened.

BETH: Like the fire on the stage and the boat sinking.

JASON: Heal the Bay's still on my case for that one. And now Tierney’s accident.

BETH: Except it wasn’t an accident. It looks like murder.

JASON: Now who’d wanna murder Tierney?

BETH: That’s what I’m trying to find out.

JASON: That’s pretty ballsy of you, Ms. Turner: chasing down Tierney’s killer. You should sell me your story. I can get Cameron Diaz to play you, easy.

BETH: Why don’t you get her to replace Tierney?

JASON: Tierney was the movie. The studio would never let me do it without her.

CUT TO SCOTT’S HOUSE
[Mick is talking to Scott]

SCOTT: You think I killed her? I loved her.

MICK: People kill for love all the time.

SCOTT: Tierney and I fought some times, sure, but we always made up.

MICK: At the party, what was the argument about?

SCOTT: I found out she was hiding something from me, okay? I was upset. The two of us, we didn’t have secrets.

MICK: Everybody has secrets, Scott.

SCOTT: Not me and Tierney. I heard a message that her business manager left for her. She’d paid this paparazzo, Dean, fifty grand to keep some photos off the market. When I asked her about it, she blew up. I figured Dean had snapped her fooling around with some other guy. Maybe you even.

MICK: There was nothing going on between myself and Tierney.

SCOTT: I didn’t wanna believe she was cheating on me, but when she wouldn’t tell me… My band hasn’t hit, yet. And Tierney had and ehm, it was tough, sure, but we loved each other. And ehm, whatever Tierney was keeping from me, we-we would have worked it out.

CUT TO OUTSIDE OF MICK’S APARTMENT
[Beth pulls up and Mick opens her door]

BETH: What are you doing?

MICK: I’m watching for the paparazzi. I figure we got about ten minutes before they track me down. Or less.

[A car comes speeding around the corner and is headed right for Mick and Beth. Mick pushes Beth out of the way and gets hit. The car drives off]

BETH: Mick! Oh, God. Mick. [Beth helps him up] Here.

MICK: Let’s get inside.

[Dean Foster is across the street taking pictures of the scene]

[Cut to inside of Mick’s apartment. He hands Beth a cup of tea]

MICK: Are you okay?

BETH: Yeah. Thank you. I got a partial plate number of the car. Whoever’s after you is-

MICK: -Who are after me?

BETH: Yeah. What do you think, they’re trying to kill me?

MICK: They were headed right for you. I pushed you out of the way.

BETH: You had to push me out of the way, because I was standing next to you.

MICK: Maybe they’re after both of us. My case and your story both connect to Tierney, right? Maybe we’re closer to her killer than we thought. What did Abbott say?

BETH: There’s definitely something weird going on with the movie. And now the studio shut it down.

MICK: They’re not gonna replace Tierney?

BETH: No, but the movie was insured, so the investors will get their money back. What about Tierney’s boyfriend?

MICK: We found out that Tierney was paying Dean off.

BETH: For what?

MICK: I don’t know, but Scott thought Tierney was cheating on him and that Dean had found out and blackmailed her.

BETH: Maybe she got tired of paying him and he killed her.

MICK: Or she wasn’t really paying him at all.

BETH: Maybe the boyfriend was lying to cover up his own guilt.

MICK: No, the boyfriend’s only crime is being in an EMO band.

BETH: What’s wrong with EMO?

MICK: Nothing when they’re influenced by Hüsker Dü. But now they all just copy Jimmy Eat World and well, that explains Dashboard Confessional, doesn’t it?

BETH: I like Dashboard Confessional.

MICK: No, you don’t. [Beth gets up] Where are you going?

BETH: Home.

MICK: Not alone, you’re not. Somebody just tried to kill you.

BETH: Well, you can’t drive me, there’s a mob of paparazzi outside.

MICK: Well, then you should probably stay here then. With me.

BETH: Oh wow. From dating to speed-dating.

MICK: No, I don’t mean with me with me, I mean I just-I can’t drive you and my couch is comfortable. And besides, I sleep in my freezer upstairs, so…

BETH: Okay. Well, better save than sorry.

MICK: Okay. [He goes upstairs] And you know if you need anything I-I’m just right upstairs, anyway.

BETH: In your freezer.

MICK: Yeah.

BETH: Sweet dreams.

MICK: You too.

CUT TO LOGAN’S BASEMENT
[Logan is looking into Tierney’s accounts]

LOGAN: You know Tierney spends a thousand dollars a month on cat-grooming. Cat. Grooming. Wait, whoa, whoa, here’s something, a check for fifty grand to Dean Foster.

MICK: Scott was right. Tierney is paying him off.

LOGAN: This is weird. Her-her business manager, Ryan Gold, he writes all her checks, right? Well, there’s a payroll account, which is how he gets paid. But every month, like clockwork he also writes himself a check from her personal account, twenty grand a pop.

MICK: Maybe she found out Gold was embezzling from her.

CUT TO DA’S OFFICE
[Talbot is walking, talking on his phone. Beth approaches him]

BEN: [on the phone] ‘I sorta remember seeing that guy’ isn’t gonna stand up in court. Look, depose him again.

BETH: Somebody tried to kill me last night.

BEN: Ugh, listen, I’ll have to call you back. [He hangs up] That seems to happen a lot.

BETH: I wouldn’t say a lot. I’m looking into the Tierney Taylor murder.

BEN: Because I asked you not to?

BETH: And the car that almost ran me down might lead to something important. Can you run the plate?

BEN: Why me?

BETH: What if I told you that everything I found points to one suspect and he might be the same guy who tried to kill me.

BEN: Which suspect would this be?

BETH: Dean Foster. Paparazzo with an unhealthy interest in Tierney.

BEN: Yeah, well, Tierney wasn’t the first.

BETH: You know about him?

BEN: Yeah, he’s a person of interest. Five years ago an actress filed a restraining order against Foster, which he proceeded to violate with wild abandon. Threat Management got involved but Foster wouldn’t back off. Actress finally moved off to London and Foster moved on to someone new.

BETH: So, Tierney became more than just a subject to him. And then she rejected him and he killed her?

BEN: It’s possible, yeah.

BETH: Why haven’t you picked him up?

BEN: ‘Cause we haven’t found him yet. [His phone rings] I gotta take this. I’ll get back to you on the license plate, alright?

CUT TO RYAN GOLD’S OFFICE
[Mick is talking to him]

RYAN: Everyone thought she was one of those vapid, little girls, who runs around without underwear, gets married to guys they meet in gas station bathrooms. Tierney wasn’t like that. Sorry. You’re probably looking for what we owe you.

MICK: Actually, I’m here to talk about a payment that Tierney made to Dean Foster.

RYAN: That was a private matter.

MICK: What about the twenty thousand dollar checks that you cut each month from Tierney’s account? Is that a private matter too?

RYAN: Yes. Leave it alone.

MICK: Or you can tell me, or I’m gonna find out myself. And if I do that, it may not remain private.

RYAN: Tierney Taylor wasn’t her real name. She legally changed it. Her dad was a drunk. He’d slap Tierney and her mom around and then one day her mom had enough. She snapped.

MICK: She killed him.

RYAN: When she got out of jail, she was an emotional wreck. Tierney bought her mom a house, hired staff, private doctors. But the payments they couldn’t trace back to her.

MICK: So, you made them in your name.

RYAN: That kid would have done anything to keep her mom out of the lime light. And then somehow Dean found out. Despicable freak. So, in the middle of everything else, we had to find the money to pay him off.

MICK: Everything else?

RYAN: Her movie, Lusitania. Tierney was shelling out her own money for costumes, swimming lessons. Abbott kept saying he was gonna reimburse her and she kept believing him, because he swore he wouldn’t make the movie without her. Frankly, I’m surprised he stuck to his word.

MICK: I thought it was the studio that shut the movie down.

RYAN: No, it was all Abbott’s decision.

CUT TO BUZZWIRE
[Beth receives a call from Mick]

BETH: Hey, Mick. What’s up?

MICK: No go on the business manager. I did find out that Tierney was pouring a whole lot of her own money into the movie, though. And it wasn’t the studio that shut the movie down. It was Abbott.

BETH: Why would Abbott tell me the studio was behind it?

MICK: Look, go see Logan. See what you can dig up on Abbott.

[Beth hangs up and receives an email from Dean Foster with pictures of Mick’s hit and run. Her phone rings]

BETH: Beth Turner.

DEAN: Dean Foster. Did you get my email?

BETH: Pictures of Mick St. John? Yeah, he is not a story without Tierney Taylor. BuzzWire is not interested.

DEAN: I didn’t send them to BuzzWire. I sent them to you. So, how did St. John get hit by a car and then just get up and walk away?

BETH: I don’t know.

DEAN: I’m willing to bet that you do know.

BETH: What do you want?

DEAN: You get a tip on a hot story and I’m gonna be the first person that you call. From now on I get all of BuzzWire’s exclusives, otherwise Mick St. John becomes my number one priority. It’s up to you.

CUT TO MOVIE LOT
[Mick and Beth are looking for Abbott]

BETH: Logan discovered that Abbott was broke. He spent all of the investor’s money before they even shot a frame of film. He needed the insurance to pay them back and the only way to do that was if the plug was pulled on the movie.

MICK: That meant getting rid of Tierney. [They spot Abbott] Hey, Abbott!

JASON: Hey, I was just a-just heading off to a meeting.

MICK: For your next movie?

JASON: A fish gotta swim. I’ll never, you know, forget Tierney.

MICK: Yeah, me neither. There was one thing we were hoping you could clear up, though.

JASON: Sure, yeah, I’m glad to help… You know what? I left my phone inside. I’ll be right back, okay?

BETH: He’s making a run for it.

MICK: Yeah, they always do.

MICK’S VOICE OVER: Chasing people is so much different when you’re a vampire. A vampire is always in control. It’s easy to forget that it isn’t just a game.

[Mick catches up with Abbott] And I can’t deny the rush when I catch the bad guy.

JASON: Please. I didn’t wanna kill her.

MICK: Then why did you?

JASON: I had to pay back the investors. With Tierney gone the insurance kicked in force majeur.

MICK: It’s not an act of God when you kill somebody, Abbott. You murdered that girl. She would have done anything for you, but you killed her!

JASON: My investors are bad news. They were gonna kill me. I had to shut the movie down. Look, I tried other things. I sigged the paparazzi on her. I thought it would stress her out, I tried to get her to drop out of the movie on her own and nothing worked.

MICK: Let’s go.

[Cut to movie lot. The paparazzi are there. Ben is there to arrest Abbott]

BEN: Get these vulchers out of here! We ran the partial plate. It traced back to Abbott, but I guess you already knew that, huh?

BETH: We just came to talk to him.

MICK: He confessed.

BEN: It’s better if he confessed to the police.

MICK: Well, I’m sure he’ll give a repeat performance. [Ben walks off] I guess that’s the end of my fifteen minutes of fame.

BETH: What happens when a vampire thinks he is about to be exposed?

MICK: He moves on. Changes cities, names. He starts all over.

BETH: Have you ever done that?

MICK: No. But I’ve been careful and lucky. I suppose one day my luck will run out. But until then… Listen, how about dinner tonight? Arbor Bistro, it’s a great restaurant. They grow all their own vegetables.

BETH: You are gonna get so tired of watching me eat.

MICK: I hope so.

BETH: It’s a date.

CUT TO BETH’S APARTMENT
[Josef is looking at the photos of Mick’s hit and run]

BETH: The rest of the paparazzi have moved on. Dean won’t. He won’t stop stalking Mick.

JOSEF: And eventually he’ll get a picture of Mick vamping or drinking blood. This whole digital revolution is bad for vampires. Back in the day, a photo didn’t matter.

BETH: Because vampires come out blurry on film?

JOSEF: It’s the silver in the emulsion. And all a blurry photo proves is the photographer’s incompetence.

BETH: Are you speaking from personal experience?

JOSEF: Let’s just say there was a-ah, particularly rowdy night at Garbo’s I wouldn’t want documented.

BETH: Don’t tell me, you’re the reason she wanted to be alone?

JOSEF: Now Beth, you wouldn’t want me to kiss and tell, would you? So, what do you want me to do about this Foster character?

BETH: I thought you could handle it, you know, pay him off or something.

JOSEF: You think that’ll work?

BETH: No.

JOSEF: Well, then you know how I’m gonna handle it.

BETH: Mick has protected me, saved me more times than I can count.

JOSEF: And you’re returning the favour?

BETH: Just don’t tell him we’re doing this-

JOSEF: I can keep a secret. As long as you’re involved with Mick and you work at BuzzWire, his secret will always be in danger.

CUT TO ARBOR BISTRO
[Mick and Beth are dining]

BETH: I ehm…           

MICK: Yeah?

BETH: I have something to tell you. I quit BuzzWire.

MICK: Why?

BETH: Well, with Maureen gone there’s not even a veneer of respectability and I’m not gonna make a living feeding of people like some kind of… [They both laugh]

MICK: Yes. Well, ehm, I suppose we’re all vampires in one form or another.

BETH: To vampires.

MICK: To us.

[Cut to outside. Dean is making photos and hears something behind him]

DEAN: Hey. Get out of here, kid. Come on. Come one, there ain’t nothing for you to see. Go on, move along. Hey, I’m talking to you, you little punk. Go on, get out of here. Hey, don’t you got a curfew or something?

[The kid from before steps out of the shadows and reveals his fangs]

KID #1: Not in over a hundred years or so, punk.

DEAN: Hey, what’s going on?

[Dean runs off and the kid goes after him. Dean trips and the other kid is there as well]

DEAN: Oh, God, no.

KID #2: I’m thinking yes.

[They attack Dean]

CUT TO BEN TALBOT’S OFFICE
[He is watching Beth on BuzzWire]

BETH: And for the last time: this is Beth Turner reporting for BuzzWire.

[Ben is looking at the photos of Mick’s hit and run and puts them in Mick’s case file]