FOR I HAVE SINNED, written by Philip John Taylor Forever Knight episode 3, season 1 transcribed by Victoria E. Meredith extra scenes transcribed by Janet Dornhoff People with lines other than "AAAAAH!" (in order of appearance) A woman having an affair with the department store security guard A man, security guard for a department store The killer (K) Detective Nick Knight, Metro homicide cop; vampire (N) Janette, owner of the Raven; vampire (J) Detective Don Schanke, Metro homicide cop and Nick's partner (S) Dr. Natalie Lambert, coroner (NA) Father Pierre Rochefort, a young priest (P) Jeanne d'Arc (JE) An older priest Alma, a sexy female vampire Three women who work at "Loose Lips," a phone sex outfit Becky, a supervisor (?) at "Loose Lips" Magda, a "Loose Lips" worker; the killer's next target (M) Police Captain Stonetree (ST) A woman who comes to confession The police officer assigned to protect Magda An officer who brings Schanke sauerkraut Questionable words are enclosed in {} brackets and marked with question marks. TEASER [Night. Inside a closed, darkened department store, a male security guard and a woman in lingerie dally on a bed in the furniture department.] Woman: [Laughing.] I am outta here! [She begins to dress, clasping a cross around her neck.] Man: Come here, come here, come here, come here. It's red tag days. We've got a two-for-one special.... Woman: Ohh...it's too late. You'll have to wait for the one-cent sale. [He walks her to the door.] Man: Get home safely. Woman: I will. [They kiss.] Take care. Man: Call me, okay? [She leaves. In her car, the woman replaces a diamond ring on her left hand. As she prepares to leave, a black clad figure wearing a ski mask pops up from the back seat. She screams, and he begins to strangle her. Inside the store, the guard wanders around; television sets play a horror movie. The security guard hears only the screams of the woman on TV. Outside, the killer tears the cross pendant that the woman is wearing from around her neck.] Killer: You don't deserve to wear this. [The woman whimpers, then dies.] OPENING CREDITS He was brought across in 1226. Preyed on humans for their blood. Now he wants to be mortal again, to repay society for his sins. To emerge from his world of darkness...from his endless forever night. COMMERCIAL [The Raven. Nick walks past an assortment of denizens of the night, looking for Janette. He bumps into an unkempt young man with a punk haircut. The punk snarls at him, vampire-style. Nick avoids him, then turns back and leans close.] N: A word to the wise: immortality is no excuse not to floss. [The punk snarls again, and Nick walks up to Janette.] J: So, Nicolas. [He kisses her hello, then gestures towards the dance floor.] N: Myra looks like death warmed over. J: Well, you know Myra. Bingeing one minute, purging the next. I think she still has remnants of a conscience. No self-respect. N: I'm here on business. Two women have been murdered this week, one decapitated, one disemboweled. [Janette walks away.] J: And so you came to...me, hmm? Nicolas, you used to be so charming. You know I don't care about what happens to them. And neither should you. N: Some people change. J: Ah, but you're not "people," hm? You're never going to learn that, are you? [Janette dips her finger in the wine glass she's holding and holds it seductively close to Nick's face. A droplet of blood quivers at the end of her fingertip.] Just taste it. [He leans forward, then resists.] You can't deny what you are. You need it. [Temptation.... And Schanke walks into the bar, yelling for Nick.] S: Hey, Knight! Knight! N: [To Janette:] If you hear anything.... [Janette smiles.] Bon appetit. [He walks towards Schanke. Janette licks the blood from her finger. Across the floor, Alma, dressed in black leather, comes towards Schanke and licks her lips seductively.] S: Well, uh, hi there. [A man comes forward and pulls Alma away. She goes willingly, staring backwards at Schanke. Nick reaches his partner.] N: I thought I told you to stay outside. S: What're you doing? I was just about to score! [Nick pushes him towards the exit.] N: Outside. Come on. S: Outside, wait outside, so you can play with all that beautiful stuff in there by yourself-- [They leave the Raven and walk towards the car.] N: It's dangerous in there, Schanke. S: Dangerous? [Laughs.] I eat danger for breakfast. That is grade-A action in there. You're just selfish. N: [Playfully.] Look, you're a married man, Schanke. S: Hey, listen. My father fooled around, _his_ father fooled around, it's a family tradition. N: Oh, yeah? You know, I don't think you've got it in you. S: [Indignantly.] Oh, is that right? N: Yeah. S: Is that right--you don't think I got it in me? N: No, I don't. S: Well, I'm tellin' you, it's in the genes. N: Ha! [They get in Nick's Caddy.] S: You're lookin' at a killer ladies' man. [The police radio blares with a staticky voice:] Dispatcher: 81 Kilo, 81 Kilo, where the hell are you guys? N: What's this? S: That's why I came in to get you. N: What is it this time? S: Ugly. [Tires screech as the Caddy pulls away.] ***************Extra Scene**************** Nick turns the ignition, tries to start the car. The engine groans for a couple of seconds, then turns over with an alarming thunk. S: Great car. N: It works! They pull away. *****************End Extra Scene********** [Crime scene. The woman from the department store is stretched out on the ground with her arms at right angles to her body, holes in her palms. There is a chalk line around her corpse. Frantic activity in the background.] S: What the hell is this? N: [Grimly.] It's a crucifixion. [Loudly.] Get her covered up and get her out of here. S: You heard what the man said. Get her to the M.E., fast. *************Extra Scene************* Nick has turned away quickly; Schanke goes over to him, grips his arm. S: You okay? Nick hurries past Schanke, away from the crucifixion, giving Schanke a reassuring clap on the arm as he goes past. They move away, Schanke solicitous, Nick upset. S: I got to admit, that's a first for me, too. They are now in front of a green sports car. The store guard is leaning against it, hunched in on himself. N: What's his name? S: Gregory something. That is a guilty man. N: Yeah, but not about killing her. They were probably just having an affair. S: He and the victim? They said she was married! N: Ah, come on, Schanke, I thought you were a man of the world. They move over to the guard. He looks like he's crying. Nick turns to a uniform. N: Take him in. Maybe he knows something. They move a little bit back towards the crime scene. Nick stops, eyes the scene. The body has been removed; a chalk outline with bloodstains at the wrists and ankles remains. S: They say that death by crucifixion takes hours, days, even. N: She was dead before she got spiked. S: How do you know that? Nick moves over, crouches down next to the chalk outline. N: There's not enough blood. Camera pulls away, showign Nick, outline w/ bloodstains, Schanke hovering nearby. *************End Extra Scene************ [Coroner's office. Nat inspects the latest victim as Nick looks on.] NA: Boy, I really hate to admit this, but you were right. Coronary. She died from sheer, unmitigated terror. [Nat holds the bloody hand, taking scrapings of the fingernails.] Here, come here, I want you to look at this. N: Nat, would you mind? NA: Oh. [She replaces the spattered hand under the sheet.] So take a look. [She holds up a cross on a chain.] Beautiful isn't it? N: [Cringes.] Yeah, depends on your point of view. NA: These things really make you uncomfortable, don't they? [He turns away, disturbed.] N: They make me feel weak. I'm afraid of them. NA: Well, that's the next thing we should work on. N: Well, if you don't mind, I'd just as soon stick with your garlic pills. NA: Hm. To become mortal, Nick, you're going to have to confront your _immortal_ fears. N: You want me to start wearing it to bed? NA: No...but you will need it for evidence. N: Why? NA: I screwed up. It just didn't register when I found them on the other two women. N: The other two victims wore crosses? NA: I checked. They're all Catholic. *********Extra Shot*********** Between the crosses being found on the victims and the killer's confession, there's a panoramic view of the city from the lake. ********End Extra Shot******** [Day. Inside St. John's, a Catholic Church. A young priest, Father Rochefort, hears confession.] Priest: The Lord be in your heart and on your lips that you may freely and sincerely confess your sins. [We cannot see the person on the other side of the confessional screen, but we recognize his voice as that of the killer.] Killer: I don't know why I came here. P: There is no need to be afraid. God is always ready to forgive us, no matter what our transgressions-- K: _I_ haven't sinned. I'm about God's work. I'm cleansing his church- -I'm _purging_ it. [Priest is getting worried.] P: We should all be...diligent in our service to God. K: Three sinners already burn in Hell, for I hold the keys of perdition and of death. [A newspaper in the confessional catches the priest's eye. The headline reads, "Third Woman Brutally Murdered."] P: [Nervously.] God does not desire the death of sinners. He wants them to turn away from wickedness and live. Look into your conscience. K: Conscience is the sinner's word. He bleeds {?} conscience, you absolve him, and he walks away smiling. P: It's not that simple. K: The next sinner to die will be one who defiles this cathedral with her very presence. She feeds the fires of lust in men, so shall she be consumed with fire! P: Please--you're here, you _want_ to confess. Something deep inside you is crying out for help. K: _I_ don't need help. I _am_ the arm of God, I am his fury. P: Please. You must confess. You have to listen to-- [The priest hears the confessional door shut. Quick footsteps retreat. The priest throws open the door to his side of the cabinet, but he is too late. The killer is gone.] [Night. Nick's place. Nick contemplates a bottle of garlic pills for a moment, then puts a couple in his mouth. For a few seconds, nothing happens, then WHAM! He jerks backwards. He gasps in distress, and either the room begins to spin crazily or he does--we can't tell which. In the background, his phone rings twice. The garlic is still doing a job on him when we hear Schanke's voice courtesy of the answering machine:] S: Knight, it's Schanke. You were right, for once. All three women were Catholic. And get this, get this--they all went to St. John's. Maybe this thing is finally coming together after all. [Nick falls, hitting the remote for his fireplace as he does. Flames blaze up.] And don't try to call me tonight--I'm off duty. Hasta la bye-bye. [Click. Beep.] [Nick taps the remote for the fireplace and eases himself up. He picks up the evidence bag containing the dead woman's cross, and carefully opens it. He pours the cross out onto the table and picks it up by the chain....] [Flashback] [15th century France. Inside a chapel, a young woman whirls around to find Nick behind her.] JE: You've been following me. [Nick oozes danger and evil.] N: Yes. I couldn't help myself. JE: [She speaks with a heavy accent.] I could feel someone...something... N: Hmm. Were you frightened? Is that why you stopped to hide? Hmm? JE: I am not _hiding_. I stopped to pray for a safe journey. I'm going to meet with the Dauphin in Vaucouleur. [Nick steps forward menacingly, grabs her shoulders, and spins her around.] N: It's a shame. I don't think you'll ever arrive. JE: I have no fear of you. N: You should. [He smiles, showing his fangs.] JE: No. My grandmother used to tell me of the ancient creatures cursed to spend eternity in darkness. You are Nicholas of {Brabant?}. The man of the night. N: [Low.] You think I'm cursed? No...I will live forever. JE: Oh, yes, very, because you are afraid of salvation. You who choose to live forever, live in constant fear of death. [She looks directly into his eyes.] I do not. I will pray for you, Nicholas. I will pray for us both. [She begins to walk away. Nick is impressed.] N: Courage. What is your other name? JE: Joan. [She leaves. Nick is alone in the chapel. Church bells ring. There is a massive wooden cross directly in front of Nick, and he approaches it as if in a trance. He reaches out a hand to touch it--and his fingers burst into flame. He cries out in agony--] [And is back in his apartment in the present. He lowers the cross on the chain into his palm, and it burns its imprint into his flesh but doesn't burst into flame. He winces, inspecting the burn.] N: Well, the garlic pills are definitely an improvement. COMMERCIAL [Behind St. John's. Outside, a large wooden cross is being erected. A banner reads, "St. John's Easter Pageant," and people are setting up folding chairs. An older priest directs the activities; the young priest follows behind him, troubled.] *********Extra Scene***************** Older priest: Better save as many of those nails as we can for next year. (mutter) Cost nearly a dollar each. He tosses the sticks onto a large brush pile, turns to Father Rochefort (P). Starts setting up folding chairs as they talk. Older priest: Sorry. Well, we were talking about, uh, confessions. P: I was saying that if someone told you in confession they were planning to, oh, let's say, rob a bank, okay? No, let's make it more, uh, melodramatic. What if he were planning to murder someone. Their wife. Hypothetically, of course. Would you go to the police? Older priest: You know the answer to that. Absolutely not. P: Even if it meant that the wife would die? Older priest: Yes. The sanctity of the confessional is inviolable. P: What about conscience? Older priest: Now, Pierre. God directs us, not our conscience. If we break the seal of the confessional, who could ever trust the church again? P: But you'd have to live with that wife's death on your conscience. Older priest: Yes, and I'd probably suffer for it the rest of my life. **********End Extra Scene************* Older priest: (to workman) Harry! Come over here. Look, I'm gonna need you to just fill out that row in the front, okay? That's a lad. [Harry walks off with the chairs. To the younger priest:] A priest must be true to his vows. P: What about living--with himself? In the real world? Older priest: We must follow God's will. P: So a--a priest can do nothing...to stop sin. Older priest: Nothing that would identify the sinner. W--oh, Harry! That's wrong. [He goes over to correct Harry's mistake.] [Night. The Raven. Schanke has returned on his own. He walks in, looking nervous and out of place in his off-duty cop clothes. Alma grabs his shoulder from behind.] Alma: [Suggestively.] Wanna dance? Or maybe something else? S: Well, y--yeah, I--sure, I-- [They dance. Her dancing style is straight out of the nineties--swiveling and sexy. His is circa 1975. Yelling over the music:] So, what's a girl like you doin' in a place like this? Alma: It's a life. S: Oh. I--I can't believe I'm actually dancing to this stuff. Alma: And what _else_ goes with dancing? [Schanke searches his mind and comes up with the only possible response:] S: I dunno, uh--dining? [Alma laughs. She turns to him, and her eyes glow.] Alma: I was _thinking_ of something else....Take my hand.... [Schanke is mesmerized.] S: S--sure. [Church bells. Nick walks across the lawn at St. John's. He sees the young priest and calls to him.] N: Father! [The priest stops. Nick flashes his badge.] Detective Knight. Homicide. P: Pierre. Rochefort. [He offers Nick his hand; Nick takes it, looking pained.] Is, uh, there something wrong, Detective? N: No. P: Were you looking for me? N: Not specifically. I was just waiting for.... P: Any old priest who came along. [Smiles.] Why don't we go inside? [He heads towards the church.] N: It's okay, I don't mind the weather. [Pulls out pictures of the murdered women.] Father, do you know any of these women? P: [Solemnly.] I buried them all. N: Well, can you tell me something about them? Did they know each other? P: Sorry, I...have to go. [He walks off, and Nick yells after him.] N: It's a coincidence, isn't it, Father? Three women from your church, all murdered. One decapitated, one disemboweled, and the last one-- P: [Agitated.] Yes! I know. [Firmly.] Sorry. I can't help you. N: Father...it's a religious person who's doing this, isn't it? P: [Pause.] If that's the case...perhaps he'll confess. N: Maybe he already has. [The Raven. Alma leads Schanke into a back room.] A: In my next life...I'm gonna be a dancing doctor. I think doctors are toooo...formal. [Schanke is breathing hard.] Too impersonal. Don't you think? [She pulls off his jacket.] Hmm? Honey...baby...sugar....I think your plumbing needs a little flushing. [She removes his tie and throws him to a seat.] That's how I'm gonna treat my patients. [She climbs onto Schanke's lap and binds his hands with his tie.] S: Oh! A: Take slow, easy breaths, cutie {?} We don't want your blood to boil. Spoils the taste. [We can hear a heartbeat, gradually getting louder. Schanke whimpers.] I'm gonna cure you, you macho dog. Forever. [She vamps out and is just about to bite Schanke's neck--] J: Alma! [Janette yells from the doorway. Alma leaps back, and Schanke shakes his head to clear it.] S: W--where am I? [Leaps up, struggling to get the tie off his hands.] How did I get-- J: Just get out of here. Alma's not the kind of woman that _you_ want to play around with. The consequences could have proved fatal. S: [Yipe!] W--Oh--you mean she might have--You mean I could've caught something like-- J: Let's just say that you would become a _permanent_ member of the night shift. S: Oh, my God--aah! [He tries to rush out, but Janette grabs him by the arm, hard.] J: Never, ever come back to this club, Mr. Schanke. Believe me. I'm doing you a favor. [She releases him and he darts out, gasping. In the back room, Alma growls low at Janette, who returns the favor.] ["Loose Lips" phone sex agency. Many women are speaking at once, using deep sexy voices, and telephones are ringing. We can pick out a few individual conversations:] Woman: What do I look like? Well, honey, I'm 5'10, 42-23-36-- Woman 2: Expiration date-- Woman 3: Yeah, baby-- Becky: [Not at all sexy:] Hey, pal. You're not gonna get happy on dead plastic. [She hangs up on him. **********Extra Scene************ Magda picks up a story she was telling her boss M: So I took the blue one back and I told 'em I wanted a refund, right? Have I got guts or what, this was of course after I wore it to the wedding, right? She looks at me, and she says, (nasal, whiny voice) "Has this been worn?" I look her straight in the eyes and I say, "Listen, honey, I had to wear it to know it didn't fit, right?" B: Sure! (both laugh) ******End Extra Scene*********** [Phone rings, Magda picks up her phone.] Magda: Hello?...Yes, this is Magda....W--how did you get this-- ....What?! [She hangs up, obviously upset. The woman who just hung up on the expired card guy looks over.] Becky: Hey, Magda, you okay? [Magda says nothing, only clicks a switch and plays a recording of the call. It is the killer's voice.] K: You profane the church by feeding the fire of lust. I know who you are, Magda. And all the dirty things you say. And so you shall be consumed by fire. [The recording ends.] Becky: Didn't know you went to church. M: Yeah, well, I didn't think it would help my resume. Look, I've gotta go to the police. This freak knows who I am. Becky: But what are the cops gonna do? Shake it off. Freaks are our business. Uh...what time you off? M: Um...an hour and a half. Becky: You--you're no good to me all wired up like this. Split, okay? See you tomorrow night. [She answers her phone.] M: Thanks, Becky. [Becky waves her away and talks to the phone.] Becky: {?I know?}--bald head? Okay, what you gotta do is sing a sweet lullaby, turn him on his back, and caress him very gently-- [Puts her hand over the receiver. To Magda:] It's my baby-sitter. [Back to the phone.] Yeah....Okay, like that. [Kissing noise.] Yeah.... [Magda grabs the tape from her recorder and leaves.] *******Extra Shot*********** As Magda leaves work, there's a shot of her walking down the halway, passing a janitor. Lots of long, quiet,empty corridors. ******End Extra Shot******** [Magda walks down the darkened hallway. She pauses at the stairwell door. Suddenly, there is the killer, in black with a ski mask over his face. He grabs her, and she tries to scream, but he muffles it with his hand. Nick, driving by the building in his Caddy, hears Magda screaming inside.] M: No! No--oo! [She struggles to escape.] Let go! Let go! Let me go....oh! Help! Help! K: Quiet, whore, or I'll send you to hell right now. [Nick leaps into the stairwell through a roof panel. Unnoticed by the killer, he aims his handgun and speaks quietly.] N: Metro police. Release the girl. Now. [The killer hesitates, then makes a break for it. He fires his gun, hitting Nick in the stomach. Nick doubles over as the killer runs down the stairs. Magda gasps. He turns to her, his face contorted as if in pain.] Call an ambulance! [She hesitates.] Now! [She rushes off. As soon as she is gone, he straightens up and takes off down the stairs. There is a bullet hole in the wall directly behind the place where he was standing. Outside the building, Nick sees a man in black running from the scene. Nick takes aim and shouts:] Stop it right there! [The man does.] Now put your hands on your head. [Ditto.] Turn around slowly. Come on! [The man turns around, pulling a toboggan hat off his head as he does. He speaks:] P: Don't shoot! N: [Surprised.] Father Rochefort. P: Please don't shoot. COMMERCIAL [Police station. In a small room, Nick, Stonetree, and Father Rochefort listen to the tape Magda has brought. Nick is extremely frustrated.] K: [On tape:] You're a dirty little girl, aren't you? You have spat in God's face. You'll pay for that. I hold the keys of perdition and of death. [Nick clicks off the player.] N: All right. One more time. You recognize the voice, don't you? P: I honestly don't know. N: Don't lie to me, Father. It doesn't become you. [Stonetree gives Nick a warning glare.] Why are you protecting the killer? P: I'm not protecting _him_. I'm protecting something more important-- the rules and beliefs of my religion. N: What about the victims of God's unofficial avenging angel? ST: _Nick_, that's enough. [Kindly.] I'm sorry, Father. Are there no circumstances under which you could speak? [The priest shakes his head.] N: Okay, you were in the alley because you wanted to warn Magda...weren't you? Well, isn't that breaking your vow? [No response. Nick's anger explodes.] _Come_on_, Father! All I want is a name here! P: Sorry. Things said in confessional are for God's ears only. [Nick gets up in his face.] N: Right. Well, I'll tell you what, Father. Next woman that's murdered, you come along with me when I tell the family. Even better, tell the family yourself. [Stonetree intervenes.] ST: All right, that's it! Knight, you're outta here. N: Fine. [He moves to leave.] P: Detective. [Nick stops.] Faith is the cornerstone of the church. The church grants people salvation and everlasting life. I _believe_ in it. [Stands.] Is there nothing you believe in that strongly? [Flashback] [15th century France. Jeanne d'Arc is in a church, dressed as a soldier; Nick comes up behind her as before and she turns.] JE: Nicholas. N: Well. You're a very different person from the last time we met. A heroine now. JE: A heretic, they say. N: Well, they do have a point. After all, why would God reveal his plans through a farmer's daughter? JE: Why did he send his son to us as a carpenter? N: And so you'll die a martyr...and I'm sure that will please you very much. JE: [Turns.] What would please me very much is to be back in Doremy with my family. N: So you _are_ afraid of dying. Life isn't so everlasting now. [He leans close.] But I can give it to you....A life that never ends....A power beyond your imagination....[He moves to her neck....] JE: [Firmly.] Don't. N: Why throw your life away for the church? For some pious old men who would lie to you? How can you do that? JE: If my death is necessary to keep the church strong, so be it. I will live on in the hereafter. N: How can you be so sure your God will be waiting for you on the other side? JE: Faith. Pure, simple faith. [She holds out a wooden cross bound together with a leather thong.] Take this to remember me by. To remind you that the faith you have lost is always there to regain. ***********Extra Scene************* Joan holds the cross out to Nick. Nick grasps her wrist, holding it away. Joan kneels down before him, places the cross on the floor at his feet, before the larger cross. She meets his eyes the whole time. Joan turns and strides out without a backward glance. Nick circles her cross [his cloak swirling about him beautifully], kneels down. Looks up at the great cross before him, then down at Joan's. *******End Extra Scene************* [Present. Police station hallway. Magda hurries up to Nick.] M: Detective Knight! I've been looking all over for you. Are you okay? N: What? M: What do you mean, "what?" I just saw you get shot. N: [Covering.] Oh, yeah. Yeah, I was just grazed, I, uh, I'll be all right. Thanks for asking. M: You know, I've been thinking maybe you and me, we could set up a sting, I could wait-- N: Magda, Magda. Leave it to us, okay? We'll take care of it. [He starts to leave.] M: Hey! Detective! You're not gonna catch this guy without my help. N: Well, we'll try. M: [Sarcastically?] Thank you--for your help. [Sees the priest.] Father Rochefort--what are you doing here? P: Go home. Go home and lock your doors until this is over. M: No! No, I--I can _help_. [Stonetree walks down the hall and overhears.] ST: Nick, can you find someone to...take her to get her stuff, and we'll put her up in a motel with a uniform? N: Sure. [He walks off with Magda; they argue in a corner. Stonetree speaks to the priest kindly.] S: I want you to stay away from the church, Father. He could be coming after you, too. P: No, I--I can't do that. [Nick's apartment. Nick sits as Nat inspects a wooden leather-bound cross.] NA: It's amazing looking. _Very_, very old. Where did you get it? N: [Offhand.] It was Joan of Arc's. NA: [Whoa! Her eyes widen.] Joan of Arc?! [Quietly.] _The_ Joan of Arc? Did she actually give it to you? N: Yeah, I wanted to bring her over to...save her life. But she wouldn't let me. You know, she had this incredible strength, this courage. Utter lack of fear. NA: Faith. N: Yeah. Faith in her own immortality. The spiritual kind, not the kind I had to offer. Bring the cross closer to me. [Nat does. Nick shrinks back.] NA: Why are you all so afraid of it? N: Because it's the symbol of the one true light and we're creatures of the dark. [Nat starts to take the cross away.] No--bring it closer. [She does, and he grabs her wrist.] NA: Why tackle this now? N: Because tomorrow I'm spending the day in a church. **********Extra Scene*********** Nick stands outside the church. It's almost daylight. He turns, strides over to a couple of other cops drinking coffee in a doorway, who point him to a phone booth in background. S: I know it's not even light yet, honey. I just wanted to call and see how you were doing. (close up on Schanke in the phone booth) Well, yeah, yeah, I figured you'd be asleep, but I just...I just wanted to call you, talk to you...I wanted to tell you that I love you. Inconsiderate? What? Hey, Myra, Myra! W-will you just let me in here? I know my timing could be better, but... Okay, okay, just go back to sleep, will you? Schanke hangs up, emerges from the phone booth, Nick waiting outside. S: That woman doesn't know when she's got a good thing going. I mean, how many guys call up from work just to say Hi? N: At six in the morning? There's an old Italian saying, Schanke. When a man sends his wife flowers for no reason, there's usually a reason. S: Well there's another old Italian saying, (thick mob-type accent) Ged outta my face. N: (changing subject) You stay at the front, the other three guys one at each side. S: This is a big place. You want me to call for a couple more guys? N: He shows, I don't want him to get suspicious. S: Where are you gonna be? N: Inside. [Hmm, Schanke looks a little taken aback by that one...] **************End Extra Scene************** [Early morning, inside St. John's. Nick walks unsteadily up the aisle. The candles on the altar lead him into a...] [Flashback] [15th century France. Jeanne d'Arc, her head shaved, is being burned at the stake. Nick watches from the window of a room nearby. The flames crackle, and she gasps. Then she catches Nick's eye.] JE: Do not mourn for me, Nicholas. I will live forever. [Breathing hard.] Hold up my cross. It will give me courage. [Nick looks at the cross hanging on the wall behind him, but doesn't pick it up. She closes her eyes....A scream--] [St. John's. Nick's vision blurs, and he runs for the door. Just as he reaches it, however, it is opened from the outside by a churchgoer. Sunlight pours in, and he ducks back behind the cover of the unopened door. He waits until the doors shut, then stumbles over to the confessional and staggers inside, closing the door behind him.] COMMERCIAL [Outside St. John's. Schanke, in the car, stares at the church.] [Inside the church, a woman walks into the other side of the confessional that Nick's hiding in. She crosses herself, then begins confession.] Woman: Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. [Nick, slumped against the booth's wall, jerks awake but says nothing. The woman, waiting for the priest's response, is confused by the silence.] Father?....Father, I know you're there. I can see your profile. [Nick, thinking fast, snores quietly.] Oh--why don't I just say...twenty "Hail Mary's and let you nap? [Nick nods as if half awake; the woman leaves, smiling.] [Outside, Schanke makes up his mind and heads into the church. He goes to the confessional where Nick is still hiding, opens the door, and hesitantly walks in.] S: Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. [Nick recognizes Schanke's voice immediately and half-smiles.] N: [Imitating the priest's brogue:] How long has it been since your last confession, my son? S: About two years. I know I haven't been a good Christian, Father, I'm probably a--a lousy Christian by your standards, but last night I did something, I don't know, Father, I just don't know. N: [Hiding a smile.] You can speak freely, my son. S: Oh, I've been married now for ten years, and in all that time I've been good. I'm not the type of guy to, uh...to, uh.... N: Fool around? S: [Whispering.] Exactly. Took the words right out of my mouth. I mean, I was _raised_ a good Catholic, Father, I'm Polish-Italian--you can't get much more Catholic than that. [Sighs.] Anyway, I went to this club that my partner hangs out at a lot. N: Why did ye go there? S: Oh, this partner of mine....I gotta admit I've been giving him a tough time, but he's a real piece of work, y'know, he always makes me wait outside this place, never lets me go in, so the other night I went in there lookin' for him, and you _would_not_believe_ this _place_, Father, I mean,....You could just use your imagination. So I went back last night...alone. N: With lust in your heart. S: Why did I do it?! I mean, what was I tryin' to prove? There was this- -woman in there, her name was....Alma or Yvette, I don't know what her name was. N: It's Alma. S: Yeah, right, Alma. And anyway, she was comin' on to me like I was Mel Gibson to the tenth, like I was some sort of Greek-- [He stops.] God! [He jumps from the confessional and throws open the other door to reveal Nick sitting there grinning.] N: [Still using the priest's voice.] Number one: I thought I told ye to stay away from there. Number two: you're supposed to cover this place from the outside. S: You son of a b-- [Nick shushes him, indicating that he's in church.] N: Twenty "Hail Mary's. Promise you'll never go in there again. [Evening. Inside a hotel room, Magda and the police officer assigned to protect her play cards.] Officer: Well, it's hard to imagine a guy would actually do all that stuff. M: Yeah, well, you wouldn't say that if you--ah--had been grabbed by this guy. [She lays down a card.] Officer: You...are a tough woman. With a little bit of tough luck. Gin. [He lays down a winning hand.] Again. M: Thanks. Officer: Anytime. M: Thanks for dinner. [She gets up.] You, uh, you want to use the bathroom or something? Officer: No, no thanks. M: Well, if you don't mind, I think I'll take a shower. Officer: That's fine. M: I'd ask you to come and scrub my back or something, but there's probably a regulation against that, right? Officer: Probably. M: Yeah. Okay. Officer: M--maybe I should just wait outside. M: Oh. All right. Well, I'll tell you what. Maybe we can play some more cards when you come back--Hearts, or something romantic. Officer: Oh, that's fine. I'll be waitin'. [He leaves; Magda immediately pries the bathroom window open and escapes.] [St. John's. Nick exits the confessional, staggering weakly; Father Rochefort storms after him.] P: Detective Knight! Who gave you permission to violate the sanctity of the confessional? N: We're trying to catch a killer here. The Lord helps those who...etcetera, etcetera. Anyway, I thought you were supposed to stay away from here. [The priest grabs Nick's arm and begins to drag him towards the altar, talking all the way.] P: I--I don't expect you to understand--but you have _no_right_ to trample over {?them?}-- N: _Let_go_of_me_! [Nick breaks free and falls into a folding chair. He turns his face away from the altar.] P: We _both_ want to stop this poor man before he kills again. N: [Low.] Poor man. Yeah. The guy just mutilated three of your parishioners. P: He can be forgiven. We _all_ can be forgiven. Detective, even _you_ can have life everlasting. [Nick looks up at the priest, then stands. His vision blurs. The priest continues:] Now, let's break a little bread, start over as friends. How do you feel about...bratwurst and sauerkraut? [Nick turns--Jeanne d'Arc's face flashes before him, ringed by flame-- and he passes out straight into the surprised arms of Father Rochefort.] P: Oh, my. [Outside, it is getting dark. In the car, Schanke talks on the car radio.] S: Hey, hey, is Knight okay? [Nick responds over the radio.] N: Alive and well, Schanke. I think your confession made me sick to my stomach. S: Hey, look, that is _not_ for publication. I do _not_ want you contacting Reuters or U.P.I., got it? [Sighs.] Look. He ain't gonna show, I'm cold, I'm tired, and did someone say there's bratwurst in there? N: I'll send a plate out with {???}. S: That's very big of you. [He clicks off the radio. He sits a moment, then notices Magda walking by. He reaches for the radio again, but just as he turns _someone_ hits him on the side of the head, hard enough to knock him unconscious. The _someone_ walks quietly into the church after Magda and sits down beside her on a pew. She sees his face, recognizes him, but he grabs her quickly.] [In a moment, an officer comes to the car with a plate of bratwurst.] Officer: Hey, Schank! Schanke! Sauerkraut-- [Not seeing Schanke at the wheel, he looks inside--and finds him struggling to consciousness on the front seat, bleeding from his temple. The officer hurriedly sets down the plate and opens the door.] What--Schank! [Schanke gasps in pain, holding his head.] S: Magda. Magda's inside. [The officer grabs the car radio.] Officer: 10-13, 10-13. Officer down, officer down! [Behind the church, Magda struggles with the killer and cries out.] M: No! No! [Nick runs through the church.] N: Magda? [To the other officers.] Seal the exits. I'm going outside. [Magda, gagged, continues to struggle. The killer binds her to the large wooden cross on display behind the church and pours gasoline around the base, then lights a stick.] K: Burn in Hell, whore! [Nick leaps out of the sky and lands on the killer. The killer tries to hit Nick with the burning stick. Nick throws him to the ground and incapacitates him, but flames from the stick catch the gasoline-soaked wood on fire. Nick looks helplessly at the ring of flame that separates him from Magda.] [Flashback] [Nick sees flashes of Jeanne d'Arc interspersed with flashes of Magda on the burning cross in the present.] N: What is your other name? JE: Joan.... JE: Hold up my cross. It will give me courage.... JE: Faith. Pure, simple faith.... JE: Remember that the faith you have lost is always there to regain.... [Magda screams.] [In the present, Nick lets out a yell and leaps over the ring of flame to land beside Magda. He unties her.] N: It's all right. I'll get you out of here. Just hold on. [He takes off his trenchcoat and throws it over Magda's head. Holding her, he leaps to safety. They land flat on the ground, untouched by the flames.] [Breathlessly.] You okay? M: [Gasping.] Yeah. How did you--how did you do that? [He looks back at the cross, now almost completely consumed.] N: A little bit of adrenaline...and a lot of faith. COMMERCIAL [Police station. Magda talks to Nick.] M: No, I--I--I've seen him at church a few times before, so-- N: You actually feel _sorry_ for this guy. M: She who forgives little, loves little. N: Yeah, you're right. [Magda turns to Father Rochefort.] M: Father...despite my line of work, I do listen to you. You're the best priest we've had in a long time. [Embarrassed laugh.] Best looking, too. Well, I--I've got to go. [She starts to leave, then turns back to Nick.] Oh! Um...thanks. N: You're welcome. [She kisses him, then takes the cross from around her neck and holds it out to him.] R--really, I couldn't. M: Oh, please. [After a pause, Nick relents and lets her lower the cross into his open hand.] N: Thank you. [He closes his fist.] Yeah. [She leaves. Nick turns to the priest, who has started to approach him.] No, I was out of line. I-- P: No, d--don't apologize. If--if I _could've_ helped.... N: Listen, I know you couldn't betray your faith. All right? I can finally understand that now. P: You--you should come in sometime. Confession is good for your soul. N: Yeah...I think my partner does enough confessing for both of us. [Schanke comes around the corner wearing a small patch on his forehead, followed by Natalie, trying to get a good look at his injury.] S: Natalie, please-- NA: --Don't be a baby-- S: --it really hurts, Natalie. NA: --don't be a baby, just let me look-- S: Ouch! NA: Oh, that's not so--ooh--ring around the collar. S: What are you, a hygienist? [He and Nat come up to Nick.] Man, oh, man, oh man! My head is pounding. N: I think it's your conscience, Schanke. S: Oh, tell me about it. NA: [To Nick.] You'd better get going. [Schanke walks away, trying to milk some sympathy from the others on the floor.] Nick turns to Natalie and opens his hand, revealing the cross in his palm. She looks, surprised.] You were able to hold it. N: [Quietly.] It burns, but not as badly. Who knows? Maybe I'm a step closer. NA: To God, or mortality? N: Maybe both. S: Hey, guys, I'm famished. You want to grab a bite? N: No thanks, Schanke. Sun's coming up. [He puts on his sunglasses and leaves. Natalie watches him go.] COMMERCIAL END CREDITS