ROCKLAND COUNTY – EPISODE #37 – OCTOBER 19, 2005 “ON THE DEFENSIVE”

 

WRITTEN BY

Roger Newcomb

 

STARRING

Bev Hromec as Detective Dee Levin

Erika Crocco as Caroline Hart

Wendy Hammer as Miranda Phillips

Ryan Chandler as Elijah Phillips

Na’Vell Lee

Jason Nishimoto-Thompson

Brandon de Laurentiis as Ian Levin

Abby Wathen as Arden Morgan

Anne Sayre as Barbara Whitman

 

INT. RAMOS ESTATE - DAY

MIRANDA has just opened the front door sees DEE and CAROLINE on the doorstep.

 

DEE

We’re not here to talk to Paul.

 

MIRANDA

Then what do you want?

 

CAROLINE

We’re looking for you son, Miranda.  Have you seen Elijah?

 

MIRANDA

Why on earth would you be looking for my son?

 

CAROLINE

Miranda, I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not, but I was nearly run down a couple of months ago in front of the Rockland Psych Center.

 

MIRANDA

I had no idea.  But what does this have to do with Elijah?

 

DEE

Miranda, I did a check on the car Caroline saw that day.  It was a 1993 blue Mercury Marquis.

 

MIRANDA

So?

 

DEE

That doesn’t sound familiar to you?

 

CAROLINE

Elijah drives a 1993 blue Mercury Marquis.  There are only two on the list of register vehicles in Rockland County and one of them belongs to him.

 

MIRANDA

What are you trying to say?  That my son tried to run you over, Caroline?  Don’t be ridiculous.  He’s a sweet boy.

 

DEE

We don’t know anything for sure, but that’s why we want to talk to him.

 

Elijah walks up.

 

ELIJAH

What’s going on here?

 

CAROLINE

Elijah!  (gasps) Wait a minute.  It WAS you.  You were at Sutter’s Mill the night I saw the car, and then you took off before I went back outside.

 

ELIJAH

I have no idea what you’re talking about, Caroline.

 

MIRANDA

Son, tell her you had nothing to do with her hit and run accident.  Tell her!

 

ELIJAH

It wasn’t me, I swear.

 

DEE

Elijah, I need to know exactly what you were doing the afternoon of May 18th. 

 

ELIJAH

That’s easy.  I was taking my Accounting finals all afternoon.  I never left campus.

 

DEE

And there were witnesses I assume?

 

ELIJAH

A whole classroom full of them.

 

DEE

And your car was in your possession that whole time?  None of your friends borrowed it or you didn’t leave the keys lying around?

 

ELIJAH

Nope.  My car was parked outside my door all day.  I swear.

 

CAROLINE

Dee, it wasn’t him.  Elijah wouldn’t try to run me down on purpose. 

 

DEE

Then we have to follow up on the other car.  That’s all we can do.

 

CAROLINE

It can’t hurt.

 

DEE

Fine.  Thanks for your time.

 

MIRANDA

I can’t believe you would accuse my son of something so awful.

 

CAROLINE

We’re sorry, Miranda.  Really.

 

Caroline and Dee leave and Miranda shuts the front door.

 

MIRANDA

The nerve of those two.

 

ELIJAH

Mom, you are either the best actress in the world or something is seriously wrong here.

 

INT. ROCKLAND PSYCH CENTER - DAY

CYRUS is standing at the nurse’s station when DAMIEN walks up.

 

DAMIEN

Hey.  Is my sister in?

 

CYRUS

Damien, hi.  Yes, she is, but I believe she is with a patient right now.

 

DAMIEN

Oh, okay.  I was driving by and thought I’d stop in.  I’ll catch her later.

 

CYRUS

Damien, wait.  Look, I’m sorry if I made things awkward between us by telling you what I did.

 

DAMIEN

Why don’t we just forget about it?  Okay?

 

CYRUS

I think that’s a good idea.

 

Ian walks up.

 

IAN

Hey there.

 

CYRUS

Hi.  Ian, this is Dr. Givens brother, Damien.

 

IAN

I think maybe we’ve met before, somewhere.

 

DAMIEN

Maybe.  Look, I’m going to be taking off.  Take care, Cyrus.

 

CYRUS

Bye, Damien.

 

Damien leaves.

 

IAN

What’s going on with him?  Is there a problem?

 

CYRUS

Well, if there is, it’s all my fault.

 

INT. RAMOS ESTATE - DAY

BARBARA is sitting in the family room when ARDEN walks in.

 

ARDEN

Aunt Barbara, is it true?

 

BARBARA

Is what true?

 

ARDEN

Have you been in touch with Dad?  Dante told me his father mentioned that you had been in contact with him!

 

BARBARA

Oh.  Arden, that’s not exactly true.

 

ARDEN

I don’t understand.

 

BARBARA

Well, I had to make up a little story for Paul and I used your father’s name, but I never expected it to get back to you.

 

ARDEN

What kind of story?  What are you up to, Aunt Barbara?

 

BARBARA

Nothing, sweetie.  I really don’t want to get into right now, but it’s nothing for you to worry about.  Unfortunately, or fortunately maybe, your father hasn’t been in touch with me since the day he left.  I’m sorry.

 

ARDEN

He just ran out on us.  How could he do that, and leave us with Mom?

 

BARBARA

I wish I knew.  By the way, your “mother” stopped by here.  Don’t know how she found me, but she was being nasty as usual.

 

ARDEN

I can’t believe she followed me to New York.  I just want to be away from her.

 

BARBARA

I hear ya.  The woman needs to get a life and stay the hell out of mine.