ROCKLAND COUNTY – EPISODE #24 – AUGUST 17, 2005 “THE BLUE CAR”

WRITTEN BY ROGER NEWCOMB

 

INT. BRIAN MORGANS’S APARTMENT IN MANHATTAN - DAY

While BRIAN sits at his computer, ARDEN walks over to the door and opens it and is shocked to see her mother, Eve.

 

ARDEN

Mom?!

 

EVE

Hello Arden.  Aren’t you going to invite me in?

 

ARDEN

What on earth are you doing here?

 

EVE

That’s no way to talk to your mother.

 

Brian gets up from his computer and walks over to the door.

 

BRIAN

How the hell did you find me, Mom?

 

EVE

You haven’t moved in seven years, Brian.  I had this address from a letter you wrote to Arden when you were in college.

 

BRIAN

So after all these years you decided to track me down?

 

EVE

Is it a crime for a mother to want to be close to her children?

 

BRIAN

If the mother is you, YES.

 

EVE

What an awful thing to say.

 

ARDEN

Mom, you made it clear in Vermont, you wanted nothing to do with me.  What changed?

 

EVE

Well, Arden, Cliff is out of the hospital now and he’s been by my house three times already. 

 

ARDEN

Get a restraining order.

 

EVE

I tried that, and the police won’t help me.  I can’t afford a lawyer so what can I do.

 

ARDEN

The man is a vile human being.

 

BRIAN

Seems like your taste in men hasn’t changed, Mom.  How could you bring someone like that into the house and let him attack Arden?

 

EVE

I had no idea that would happen.  You can’t blame me for that.

 

BRIAN

Why not?  Let’s face it, you have to be the worst mother in the history of motherhood.  We’ve come to expect so little from you.

 

EVE

You haven’t changed a bit, Brian.  After all these years, you’re still the same disrespectful brat you always were.

 

BRIAN

And you’re still the same selfish bitch you’ve been since the day I was born.  I want you out of here.

 

EVE

What?!

 

BRIAN

You heard me.  Get out of here, Mom, and don’t ever come back!

 

Brian slams the door in Eve’s face.

 

INT. RAMOS ESTATE - DAY

PAUL is talking to ELIJAH in the family room.

 

PAUL

So what’s new with you, Elijah?

 

ELIJAH

Well, I’m looking for a second job to try and help with my school expenses.

 

PAUL

You’ll be graduating this year, right?

 

ELIJAH

Yes.  I can probably finish all my requirements by December and graduate a semester early.

 

PAUL

That’s wonderful.  And very admirable of you.

 

ELIJAH

I plan on being a successful business man someday just like you.

 

PAUL

It’s good to dream big.  I just wish my son had a little of that drive in him.

 

ELIJAH

Mr. Ramos, if I had the opportunities Dante has been given, I can’t even imagine how far I might go.

 

Dee walks in.

 

DEE

Paul, hi.  

 

PAUL

Dee.  I didn’t hear the doorbell ring.

 

DEE

Oh, I arrived at the same time as a package Miranda was signing for, so she let me in.  I called your office and they told me you were at home today.

 

PAUL

Elijah, would you excuse us for a moment?

 

ELIJAH

Sure.  No problem.

 

Elijah walks out of the room.

 

PAUL

So what’s up, Dee?  I hope you’re not here to tell me Caroline Hart has levied some new allegations against me.

 

DEE

No, her hit and run case is closed as far as the police are concerned.   She saw an older blue sedan but we couldn’t nail down the make and model or license plate number so there’s really nothing for her to go on.

 

PAUL

Well, I don’t own a blue car or truck, or anything else that I could run Caroline over with, although the thought does appeal to me very much.

 

DEE

You better watch what you’re saying Paul.  Caroline has it in for you, and even joking about stuff like this is a bad idea.

 

PAUL

So I assume you got my message and finally made some time to talk to me?

 

DEE

Yes, tell me what’s going on.  Your message was pretty vague.

 

PAUL

I need to talk about you about Dan.  And Julia. 

 

DEE

What about them?  I thought you wanted Julia’s death to be a closed case and that’s why you’re having such a hard time with Caroline.

 

PAUL

This isn’t about Julia’s death, Dee.  It’s about her relationship with Dan long before that night.  What exactly happened between my wife and our brother that I didn’t know about?

 

INT. SUTTER’S MILL - DAY

CAROLINE is sitting at a corner table having lunch when CYRUS walks up.

 

CYRUS

Hello Ms. Hart.

 

CAROLINE

Oh, Cyrus.  Hi.

 

CYRUS

Don’t worry, I’m not here to share any premonitions with you.

 

CAROLINE

Good.  I’ve had enough bad news lately.

 

CYRUS

Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.  Did the police ever find out anything about the car who tried to run over you?

 

CAROLINE

No.  And it looks like they won’t.   The case is closed now.

 

CYRUS

Close?  So they’re going to let his person get away with what they did to you?

 

CAROLINE

I’m afraid they are.  Since you and I couldn’t identify the make and model of the car and didn’t see the driver, there’s not much they can do.

 

CYRUS

It all happened so fast.  I just remember a big blue car coming out of nowhere and then boom, it was gone.

 

CAROLINE

I think I saw even less than you.  I just heard those tires come screeching toward me and I dove out of the way.  I might have ended up seriously injured, or dead.

 

CYRUS

Well, Luckily you’re alright.  And since you haven’t had any other issues, maybe it was just some kind of freak accident or something.

 

CAROLINE

No, Cyrus.  It was no accident.  I know the man who did this to me was doing it to send a message.  But it didn’t work.   And now I’m more determined than ever to make him pay.

 

 

INT. THE MAIN DRIVEWAY OF THE RAMOS ESTATE  - DAY

BARBARA walks up to a frustrated Elijah who is sitting on the ground by the driveway.

 

BARBARA

Hey kid, what’s the problem?  Should I assume you’re the one responsible for that big cloud of smoke in the driveway?

 

ELIJAH

Yeah, that’s me.  My car is a total piece of junk.

 

BARBARA

Well, I can’t argue with you there.  Maybe it’s time to trader her in on a new model.

 

ELIJAH

If only I could.  Every dime I make is going to my tuition and I can’t afford to get a new car right now.  I’m going to be driving this big blue tank until the wheels fall off.

 

BARBARA

That might not be too long from now from the looks of things.  I think the paint has already got a head start.

 

ELIJAH

Well, I hate that color blue anyway.  If I thought it would still be running a year from now, I might try to paint it, but I can’t afford to invest any more cash into it right now.

 

BARBARA

I hear ya.  Well, take it easy kid.  Good luck with that big blue tank of yours.

 

ELIJAH

Thanks.