MORIARTY

1.03 - A Study in Red

Written by

Valeri Lilov

Based on elements from the original works

of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Valeri.Lilov@gmail.com
+44 033 0001 2451
 35.

EXT./INT. ABANDONED HOUSE - NIGHT

Charlotte steps in cautiously, approaching the house. Jane is
right behind, following her. A little sound comes from
within. Charlotte stops and puts a finger on her lips. Almost
like a sign to herself. Or a thought.
She waits. In a moment, she rushes inside.
A punch, followed by the click of a hammer. Jane lights up a
match, revealing the faces of Poirot, holding his nose and
Hastings, raising a revolver.
CHARLOTTE
Who are you?
POIROT
Mon ami, mon ami...
CHARLOTTE
I asked what are you doing here?
POIROT
(in French)
My Goodness, what a fuckup.
(in English)
We were setting up an ambush.
HASTINGS
And you just ruined it.
CHARLOTTE
Are you men of Lestrade?
POIROT
Does it look like we’re men of
Lestrade? Young miss--
CHARLOTTE
Holmes, call me Holmes.
POIROT
I can see you’re brave and
youthful, but you shouldn’t be
foolish.
A scream comes from outside, followed by a gunshot. Charlotte
rushes out. Jane has fallen. She tries to aim the revolver
towards a disappearing man in the distance. She can’t shoot
though. Charlotte kneels down to her.
JANE
A man hit me...
 36.

Charlotte calls 911.

CHARLOTTE
Brixton Road. The abandoned house.
We need an ambulance.
LATER
Inside, Charlotte is squatted, looking at the blood stains.
Lestrade, Gregson and McDonald walk into the room.
LESTRADE
The dead man is Enoch Drebber. A
lawyer identified him. He came down
to London with his colleague,
Joseph Stangerson. I see you--
CHARLOTTE
(gets up)
I got your letter.
Poirot and Hastings walk into the room.
CHARLOTTE (CONT'D)
Who’s the small man?

POIROT
Ouie, my name’s Poirot. The
greatest detective ever lived.

CHARLOTTE
Right. And the servant?

MCDONALD
His name’s Hastings. A captain.
Decorated military. Who’re you?

CHARLOTTE
My name’s Holmes.
(looks to Gregson)
Is he mute?
GREGSON
He is not.

POIROT
The young lady just intruded on an
ambush that would have exposed the
real killer. Alas, now he hurt her
friend and escaped.

LESTRADE
And you didn’t find it important to
inform the police?
 37.

POIROT
Well, how could I know that someone
else would think like Poirot?
GREGSON
Explain yourself.
POIROT
You see, youth is a wonderful
thing. But too... tempting for
Poirot to neglect. The little gray
cells sometimes work like the good
red wine.
MCDONALD
What is this? The circus blinders?
POIROT
No, madame...
MCDONALD
That was rhetorical!
CHARLOTTE
My friend was hurt. I’d...
POIROT
Ouie.
Silence.
CHARLOTTE
A man dies. Foreigner. No motive.
Just the word “revenge” inscribed
with cypher on the floor. Who did
you think did it, a lover?
LESTRADE
We didn’t...
MCDONALD
Who are you again?
CHARLOTTE
Why does everyone keep asking me
that? I’m nobody!
GREGSON
I like her.
LESTRADE
Poirot, did you know about this?
 38.

POIROT
Bon. I knew he’d come back. The
ring was left behind, but not on
purpose.
CHARLOTTE
Three times! This man was knocked
down, dragged across the room and
had a knife put next to his throat.
POIROT
Yet, he died out of poison.
CHARLOTTE
You know what?
(walks to the exit)
Screw you, Lestrade. Scotland Yard
can go to hell.
POIROT
(watches her disappear)
What an interesting young lady. Did
you notice Hastings, she had the
eyes of a lion?
HASTINGS
Huh?
POIROT
Yes... Quite a brain she has. Bad
tongue, but... a brain for two,
n'est-ce pas?

INT. SCHOOL OFFICE - DAY

Roger CHILLINGWORTH, a man of true evil, sits opposite
Moriarty.
CHILLINGWORTH
Professor James Moriarty.
MORIARTY
So, you got my letter.
CHILLINGWORTH
I did. Four assaults in less than a
week. I must say that I’m
impressed.
MORIARTY
Why?
 39.

CHILLINGWORTH
Well, a man of your intelligence
chooses to use his knowledge for...
MORIARTY
Continue, please.
CHILLINGWORTH
It’s not about money, is it? You’re
not a simple terrorist going after
poor people because of an ideal?
MORIARTY
Poor people are just the result.
CHILLINGWORTH
An ideal then after all?
Moriarty hands him a photo of Milady.
MORIARTY
Do you know this woman?
CHILLINGWORTH
I must say I do not.
MORIARTY
She committed three of these
crimes.
CHILLINGWORTH
Impressive. Who did the fourth?
MORIARTY
I myself never had the pleasure
to... kill.
CHILLINGWORTH
Never?
MORIARTY
It’s strange, isn’t it? It’s so
easy when you’re just pulling the
strings.
CHILLINGWORTH
Everyone has their role.
MORIARTY
Their part my dear. I want you to
be the martyr.
He smiles.
 40.

CHILLINGWORTH
Martyr? I’m not sure--
MORIARTY
I want you to kill the Queen.
Assassinate the whole royal family.
CHILLINGWORTH
(smiles doubtfully)
And how would I do that?
Moriarty gets up and opens the drawer on his desk. He takes
out a pencil.

INT. POLICE PRECINCT - LESTRADE’S OFFICE - DAY

Inspector BAYNES (22) sits opposite an empty desk and
nervously checks her watch.
The door opens and Lestrade walks in. He sits opposite her.
Watches her. Testing.
LESTRADE
Four years in the academy.
BAYNES
Sir?
LESTRADE
Not a single mistake. And they sent
you here.
BAYNES
With all do respect, I requested to
be--
LESTRADE
Why?
BAYNES
You see, I have these... issues.
LESTRADE
(harsher)
Why?
BAYNES
They wouldn’t take me anywhere
else. I’m too nervous. Strange,
perhaps.
LESTRADE
You didn’t answer my question.
 41.

BAYNES
I want to be a police officer.
LESTRADE
Your rank supersedes most of the
officers here and you’re a woman.
How old are you, 25?
BAYNES
22.
LESTRADE
(mockingly)
Okay.
BAYNES
Sir, I can... can I work with
Inspector McDonald?
LESTRADE
McDonald?
BAYNES
Yes. I heard she’s ambitious--
LESTRADE
I’m ambitious.
BAYNES
Yes, sir, but... I thought. It may
be easier. If that’s okay.
Lestrade leans back on his chair.

INT. HOLMES’S APARTMENT - DAY

Charlotte strolls up and down nervously. Jane wakes up, lying
on the couch. There is a hand towel covering her head.
JANE
(tries to take it off)
What... what happened?
CHARLOTTE
Two cases. The dead man and the
young lady. The blood. And the
speckled band.
JANE
(still dizzy)
What?
 42.

CHARLOTTE
(walks to her)
Remember the girl who came here?
JANE
The one who was afraid?
CHARLOTTE
Precisely. She sent a telegram.
JANE
A telegram?
CHARLOTTE
Yes, I don’t like phones. Anyway,
it was saying that her father is
renovating their house and she had
to move in the exact same room
where her sister died.
JANE
I don’t...
CHARLOTTE
Come on, Watson. You have to see
the connection. A dead sister.
Large fortune. A pair of wild
animals and gypsies. Lots of them.
JANE
Please, enlighten me.
Shouts come from downstairs. Charlotte opens the door, but
someone barges in. It’s Grimesby ROYLOTT (43), a well-dressed
doctor with ruthless face.
ROYLOTT
(coldly)
You must be Holmes, Charlotte
Holmes, correct?
CHARLOTTE
That is correct.
ROYLOTT
As I realize my daughter--
CHARLOTTE
Step daughter.
ROYLOTT
I can see you know quite a lot.
 43.

CHARLOTTE
Not nearly.
He slaps her. She doesn’t react.
ROYLOTT
I can assure you, I don’t like
beating women.
CHARLOTTE
Is that what you used to tell your
dead wife?
ROYLOTT
Don’t dare mention my wife...
CHARLOTTE
(looks him up close)
I am not much of a poetry person,
but I know a verse. Quite
appropriate for this case. Can I
say it?
(walks around)
“And fear no men who say that their
word shall fall upon their feet.
Cauz’ their legs are full of smell
and rotten as their words fall out
and pass on the decay”
ROYLOTT
Quite.
CHARLOTTE
You’ve got five seconds to choose
the door or the window or I swear
in my dead father, I am going to
shoot you and make sure nobody ever
gets to know about it.
Roylott smirks and walks out of the apartment. A beat.
JANE
Who’s the author? The verse...
CHARLOTTE
Me. I just came up with it...
Myself. Come Watson. We have work
to do. Get up!
 44.

EXT. BAKER STREET - DAY

A couple of young girls ALICE (8) and HEIDI (11) stand by the
corner and watch in secret. Alice whispers something in
Heidi’s ear.
CHARLOTTE
(from a distance)
Here you are girls.
The two girls start running. Charlotte starts chasing them.
Jane shakes her head and rushes after them, too. They get
into a little park, reminiscent of a forest.

EXT. PARK - DAY

The kids are gone. Jane finally catches up with Charlotte.
JANE
Tell me what’s going on, Holmes.
Why are we chasing kids now?
CHARLOTTE
(looks around)
They’re not just kids. Ha!
She runs towards a well-covered bush and opens it. A group of
kids stand next to each other, hiding. Charlotte offers each
of them a silver coin. One of them, Little TIMMY (10) gives
his own coin to the Little Match Girl.
TIMMY
The old man goes out at night,
every day at 6. There is a guard
and...
Charlotte rushes away.
CHARLOTTE
Come, Watson. We should hurry!
LITTLE TIMMY
(to himself)
...many wild animals that he’s
unleashed.
One of the older kids, SIMPSON (14) stands next to him.
SIMPSON
I hope they don’t get in trouble.
 45.

TIMMY
They won’t. The good guys always
win.
Simpson smiles.

EXT. PARK - NEAR A TREE - DAY

Romeo stands, watching the road. A wooden straw is clutched
between his teeth. Cars drive by in each direction. Simpson
approaches.
SIMPSON
You wanna be like them?
ROMEO
Them? No. I wanna be someone.
She stands up next to him from the other side of the tree.
SIMPSON
Tell me, if you could choose
between a girl, money and health.
What would you choose?
ROMEO
Money.
SIMPSON
Nothing can change your mind, huh?
ROMEO
Well, the way I see it, if you have
money, you can have a girl and
you’ve got people to take care of
your health. No?
SIMPSON
Ha! That’s funny.
ROMEO
What’s so funny?
SIMPSON
Nothing. I’d say Steve Jobs would
disagree.
ROMEO
The Apple guy? I remember him.
SIMPSON
He died at 56. And he had all the
money in the world.
(MORE)
 46.

SIMPSON (CONT'D)
You know what the funny thing is? I
don’t think he really thought about
money at all. He said: “Live each
day like it’s your last”.
ROMEO
Well, he was right about that.
SIMPSON
My name’s Juliet by the way. First
name.
ROMEO
It’s a beautiful name. I’m Romeo.
She laughs. He starts laughing too.
ROMEO (CONT'D)
Now, that... that is something
money cannot buy.

She holds her smile, but it makes her think.

EXT. PARK OUTSIDE ROYLOT’S VILLA - DAY

Charlotte and Jane watch from the bushes. A car drives away
from the mansion. Charlotte gestures Jane and they walk out
of their cover.

Near the entry, Charlotte knocks down two of the gypsie

guards with some expert boxing punches. No more than two or
three per person. Quite brilliant for her age. Jane isn’t
impressed though. They step into the villa yard.

INT. ROYLOT’S VILLA - DAY

The door opens. Helen lets them in. She closes the door
quietly and gestures them to her room. Opens the door. It’s
in process of renovation. She closes the door and opens up
another to a different room. They walk in.

THE SISTER ROOM

It’s a quite wonderful room with some large bed and a bell
ringer. Charlotte starts to investigate quietly. She looks at
every place. Then she stops. Her face has turned pale.

HELEN
(steps up)
What... what were you able to find?
 47.

CHARLOTTE
Watson, do you carry your gun as I
asked you to?
JANE
You didn’t, but I do.
CHARLOTTE
Because it’s going to get very
dangerous for us here tonight. Very
dangerous indeed.
She pulls the blinds.
FADE OUT.