Crash and Burn

FADE IN:

EXT  — NIGHT 

A raging fire consumes a large residential home in the Chicago Beverly neighborhood…

EMILY MURPHY, 35, sits on a curb across the street, staring in horror at the flames engulfing her home. The middle-aged housewife flips her auburn hair to the side with her ashy fingertips. She twirls her burned wedding wing around her delicate finger and sighs as plumes of smoke billow out of the upstairs windows.

Firefighters try desperately to save what’s left of the housefire. Neighbors gather across the street, continue to whisper, and point toward the home with looks of shock and awe.

EMILY screams at nearby police. Authorities briefly look over, startled. 

EMILY

Can someone help me over here, please?! I want some answers about what our plan is!

SEARGENT DAVIS finishes his conversation with a cop and strolls over toward Emily. He is a portly man and adjusts his belt on the way over. Emily rolls her eyes.

Sergeant Davis exhales slowly in front of Emily. His breath reeks of coffee. 

SEARGENT DAVIS

We’re trying to put all the pieces of this puzzle together, Mrs. Murphy. We’ve called a detective from our office because this is beginning to look like a kidnapping case. I’m terribly sorry. But you should know the detective we have is one of the best in our business. He specializes in this sort of thing. 

Emily gently lays her head between her knees and rocks as if ready to throw up. 

EMILY

Oh my God. Oh my God. I can’t…

SERGEANT DAVIS

Look, Detective Paul Walden should be on his way over here at any moment, and then all of your questions will be answered. 

Sergeant Davis scans the area, and as soon as he turns around, Walden pushes his way past a throng of cops. Davis breathes a sigh of relief. 

SERGEANT DAVIS (CON’T)

Well, it looks like he’s here. Um, I’ve very sorry, Ma’am.

DETECTIVE PAUL WALDEN walks tall toward Emily. Emily nearly falls off the curb upon seeing Walden’s confident demeanor and rugged good looks.

PAUL

It’s Emily. Is that correct? Do you prefer me to call you Mrs. Murphy, or will Emily be okay?

He hands out his handkerchief.

EMILY

Emily will do. Thank you. 

Emily dabs her eyes with the handkerchief, smearing her makeup. She smiles slightly. 

  PAUL      

I’m Detective Paul Walden, and I’m going to ask you some questions to file the report, so we can begin to conduct our investigation.

Emily nods. Paul runs his hand through his salt and pepper hair and pulls out a notepad and pen. 

PAUL (CON’T)

When did you last see baby Danny and your husband, Jack?

Emily rubs her stressed forehead, remembering incidents with Jack from her past…

FLASHBACK: THE MURPHY HOME

Jack stumbles home smoking pot around baby Danny, drinking Jack Daniel’s and storms out of the house when he was crying in the middle of the night, calling her terrible names….

DISSOLVE BACK TO: 

Paul taps Emily on the shoulder, awakening her from her daze. 

  EMILY

Sorry. It would have been tonight before I went to sleep. 

Emily swallows hard and stares over Paul’s shoulder, watching as the firefighters continue to battle the blaze. 

PAUL

Uh-huh. And what time would that have been?

  EMILY

Nine o’clock. 

Emily chews her fingernails on her right hand.

PAUL 

Did you leave the stove on? Fireplace? Space heater?

EMILY

No, and we don’t use the fireplace or space heater in the summer.

PAUL

I just want to check every possible scenario, Emily. Were there any electrical problems with the home? Any faulty wiring that you have been meaning to get fixed?

EMILY

Um, no! (Emily gulps). Jack built the house. We haven’t had any problems, no.   

  PAUL

Built the house, you say? He must have been pretty handy then?

EMILY

Oh, yes. 

Emily nods quickly, staring at Paul’s notepad.

FLASHBACK: MURPHY HOUSE

As the house begins to burn with the baby crying, Emily sees nothing but an empty crib in the nursery, and as the flames eat up the walls, the crying fades away. 

DISSOLVE TO:

Paul scribbling in his notepad. Emily continues to bite her fingernails down to a nub. Paul looks up from his pad and resumes questioning.

PAUL

Do you have any idea where your husband would have gone?

EMILY

If I did, I would have already told you! 

Paul’s eyes widen, and he wrinkles his eyebrows. Emily gasps at her own outburst. 

EMILY (Con’t)

I’m sorry. It’s just…I already called Jack’s brother, his parents, and his friends. After Jack didn’t answer for the third time, I made the calls. No one knows where he is.

Paul drooped down to meet Emily’s amber eyes, eyes more like a tiger than a human being. He set his hand on her shoulder again. 

PAUL

We’re going to find them. I’m going to see to that. Okay?

  EMILY

Thank you, Detective Walden.

Emily smiled slightly once more and nodded. 

PAUL

Please, call me Paul. Now, what kind of vehicle is Jack driving? 

EMILY

It would be a 2017 Ford Escape, black. 

Emily stops biting her nails and relaxes her posture. 

PAUL

You wouldn’t happen to know the license plate number, would you?

EMILY

I’m afraid not, sorry.

PAUL

That’s okay. The sergeant said you retrieved some photo albums. Do you have a picture of your husband and son I can have, please?

EMILY

Oh yes, of course. 

Emily pulls out a rare happy family photo.

Paul studies the photo. Jack is wearing a red polo with khakis, holding the baby high like Simba. He almost looks like his smile is genuine. Emily dons a red sundress with dangling silver earrings with a more forced grin. 

EMILY

We made a point to get a family portrait at the mall just last week. It was a nice day. One of the few we ever had in our marriage. 

Paul nods and continues to focus on the photo as if it’s a piece of evidence. 

PAUL

Cute kid. Dad seems kind of like a goof, holding him like that. 

EMILY

Well, yeah. But I never thought that goof would take my baby away from me.

PAUL

Mind if I can have the other photos in your album for a while? I might find some that help me with the case.

EMILY

Well…sure I guess. Are you going to use it for part of your investigation or something?

Emily thumps her foot against the street and bites her lip. 

PAUL

I don’t know. Maybe. Anything is fair game at this point. 

Paul continues to study the photograph.  

EMILY

I see. Yeah. No problem. 

Emily checks out Paul’s greying, scruffy beard and allows her eyes to wander too long. Paul looks up to see her staring. 

Emily and Paul divert their attention back to the photograph.

PAUL

Well, thanks for the picture, Em. I mean, Emily. 

EMILY

That’s okay. You can call me Em. 

PAUL 

Why don’t you say we meet at the local diner here, Gil’s? Say tomorrow, 1:00, to hammer out a game plan for this case?

EMILY

I’d like that, Paul.

PAUL

Sounds good, Em. 

Paul looks back up from the photo, and the two smile in unison. 

The house begins to burn out as the firefighters spray gallons of water over its remaining frame. News crews have arrived on the scene to start setting up.

A young male TV reporter with a microphone gets out of a van and approaches Emily. Emily does her best to stand up from the curb. 

REPORTER

I know this must be devastating for you. But is there any light you can shine on this horrible situation for us? Is there anything you can tell the world right now? Are we hearing this is a kidnapping case?

Emily closes her head in her hands and starts to cry. The

reporter pats her on her back. 

REPORTER

I understand. If now is not the best time….

EMILY

I don’t even know where to begin, to tell you the truth. My husband burned the place down. He burned it all down and took off with my six-month-old. I don’t know where he is. I…so do what you will with that. Tell America to look out for Jack Murphy. I know I am. 

REPORTER

(The reporter shakes his head). I am so sorry for all of this, Mrs. Murphy. We will do all we can to get your story out there. 

  EMILY

(Nodding) Thank you. I just want my baby back. That’s all. That’s all any mother would want.

Emily wipes her tears and smiles.

There is incoherent questioning from the reporter and more journalists who converge on Emily. 

Neighbors scatter back to their well-crafted homes. Emily’s home is nothing more than a pile of rubble and black ash. Firemen ease the water and begin scavenging the remains. 

FADE OUT.