MAXINE MILES

Chapter 10, Ending B - The Lost Child

by Lauren Shippen

INT. TREEHOUSE

SFX: Picking up where we left off in Episode 9.

ROSS: What is running through your head right now?

MAX: Whoever took Riley - or whoever he's running from...it might all be over tonight. If it has
something to do with the mine, then it'll be too late for him to do any damage after the demolition
and we'll have lost our chance to catch someone in the act. If it's Mr. Beatty...whatever he was
doing has a deadline of tonight. And I'm supposed to be tracking Ransom's files down...he's
going to be tracking me down soon enough.

ROSS: Okay, so...are you saying we should split up? Both take a different person on?

MAX: Ross, there's still the mine. If the old mines gets collapsed tonight, that means the project
is moving forward and if it really is as dangerous as Riley thought...

ROSS: We need to stop it.

MAX: Which is why you need to go to City Hall and try to find that environmental survey report.

ROSS: And what are you going to do?

MAX: I'm going to go find Riley.

ROSS: How?

MAX: I need to go back to Mr. Beatty's cabin.

ROSS: Max, I don't think that's a good idea-

MAX: Either Mr. Beatty will be there and I can just talk to him, or I can dig around more...either
way, I think Riley was there at one point.

ROSS: If he was that means that Mr. Beatty is dangerous.

MAX: Yeah, except you know exactly where I'm going. If something goes wrong, Mr. Beatty
won't get away with it.

SFX: Max walks over to the ladder down to the ground.

ROSS: That is not comforting!!!

MAX: Okay, you go to City Hall, get the report, and then meet me at the demolition.

SFX: Ross walks over to Max.

ROSS: Max, just please let me come with you-

MAX: I can't be in two places at once, Ross. Please.

ROSS: Fine. If I don't see you in half an hour, I'm calling in the cavalry.

MAX: I'll agree to that.

SFX: Max steps onto the top of the ladder.

ROSS: Max.

SFX: She stops.

SFX: Ross reaches into his pocket and pulls out his pocket knife, extending it toward Max.

ROSS: Take this.

MAX: Are you expecting me to...stab Mr. Beatty?

ROSS: If you're going out into the woods, alone, to track down a creepy old man, a pocket knife
is the minimum.

SFX: Max takes the pocket knife from him.

MAX: Thank you, Ross.

ROSS: Just...bring it back to me, okay?

MAX: I will. I promise.

SFX: Max starts climbing down.

ROSS: (calling down) Thirty minutes!

FADE TO:

TITLES
SFX: Maxine Miles theme music plays.

LAUREN SHIPPEN: From Atypical Artists and iHeartRadio, you're listening to Maxine Miles.
You've chosen Ending B: The Lost Child

FADE IN:

INT. CABIN

ATMO: Musty, quiet cabin.

SFX: Max comes into the cabin, the door swinging shut behind her.

MAX: Riley? Riley are you here?

SFX: Max goes further into the cabin, walking around the small room.

MAX: Mr. Beatty...?

SFX: She walks over into the bedroom.

MAX: Riley?

SFX: She slides open the closet door.

MAX: The duffel is gone...why is the duffel gone...

SFX: She slides it closed again.

SFX: The wind picks up outside.

MAX: Okay...think...think...(then) The trunk!

SFX: Max marches back into the main room and hurries over to go crouch next to the trunk.

MAX: Come on...

SFX: She rattles the lock, trying to open it.

MAX: There's gotta be a key here somewhere...

SFX: Suddenly, the phone rings.

MAX: (gasps)

SFX: Max goes over to the phone. It keeps ringing.

MAX: (to herself) What do you have to lose...

SFX: Max picks up. The moment she does, Hal starts talking.

HAL: Pat, you have to get down here right now. I've fixed your mess, but I need you to make
sure that nothing else happens. We can't have this be ruined.

MAX: (breathes)

HAL: Pat? Patrick? Are you there?

MAX: Mayor Hal?

HAL: What? Who is this?

MAX: What are you...what mess? What did Mr. Beatty do?

HAL: Maxine Miles? What are you doing? Where's Pat?

MAX: I...I don't know. What's going on, Mayor Hal?

HAL: Oh, ou need to go home and forget we ever spoke, young lady. Right now.

SFX: The phone disconnects as Hal hangs up.

MAX: Hello? Mayor Hal? Are you there?

Silence.

SFX: Max puts the phone back in the cradle.

MAX: (to herself) What in the world...

SFX: Distant footsteps start to approach the cabin.

MAX: (gasps)

SFX: Max moves away from the phone, going to hide back in the bedroom. The footsteps walk
up the few steps to the door.
SFX: The door opens, Mr. Beatty walking in.

SFX: Beatty walks over to a trunk, unlocks it, rifles through it.

MAX: (muttering to herself) Come on, Max...you have to do this. For Riley. You can do this.

SFX: Max steps out from her hiding place and into the main room.

SFX: Beatty pulls something from the trunk shuts it.

MAX: Mr. Beatty?

SFX: He stands and spins around quickly, starting toward Max.

MAX: Whoa, whoa, whoa, it's Max! Maxine Miles!

SFX: He stops in his tracks.

MR. BEATTY: Maxine?

MAX: I- look, I'm sorry to just barge in here-

MR. BEATTY: What are you doing here? Why? How are you here?

MAX: Where's Riley Stevens?

MR. BEATTY: What?

MAX: Just...please tell me he's okay.

SFX: Beatty takes a step toward her and she immediately steps back.

MAX: I'm not- please don't-

MR. BEATTY: Max, I-

SFX: He stops moving toward her.

MR. BEATTY: I'm not going to hurt you.

MAX: Then...then why are you holding that?

SFX: Beatty puts the pick axe down on the table.

MR. BEATTY: It's what I'm here for.

MAX: Why do you need a pick axe?

MR. BEATTY: Because there's something I need to fix.

MAX: Does it have something to do with Mayor Hal?

MR. BEATTY: How did you...what are you doing here, Maxine?

MAX: Ross and I found your duffel bag. With all the Charleston Chews. What did you do with
Riley?

MR. BEATTY: You– (sighing) Oh, Max...

MAX: Is he okay? Just tell me he's okay.

MR. BEATTY: I don't know.

MAX: What do you mean you don't know? Didn't you...I mean, you took him. (beat) Didn't you?

MR. BEATTY: Is that what you think?

MAX: Well? Am I wrong?

SFX: Beatty stomps to the table and sits down in the chair at it.

MR. BEATTY: (sighing) I've made a lot of mistakes.

MAX: Like kidnap Riley?

MR. BEATTY: No, I- (then, conceding) Fine. Yes, I guess I did.

MAX: Why?? To- to try and bring back your son?

MR. BEATTY: What? No, that's not- how do you know about that?

MAX: Ms. Honeywell told me.

MR. BEATTY: Ah, yes, Elena. She's a kind woman.

MAX: I thought it was pronounced Alana.

MR. BEATTY: Right, right, that's the name she's going by now...
MAX: What do you mean...

MR. BEATTY: Your Ms. Honeywell didn't always go by that name.

MAX: What are you talking about?

MR. BEATTY: That's her business to tell, not mine. I'm the only one who remembered her from
way back, and I'm not about to go betraying her trust. I know what it's like to want to move on
from your past.

MAX: Your family.

MR. BEATTY: It was a climbing accident. John loved climbing.

MAX: I'm sorry.

MR. BEATTY: It was a long time ago.

MAX: That doesn't mean it doesn't still...well, I'd imagine you're still sad about it.

MR. BEATTY: I am.

MAX: So...I think most people would understand why you'd want to...to try and get him back in
some way. It doesn't make it okay, but people will understand. But you have to tell us where he
is now.

MR. BEATTY: I didn't take the Stevens boy because he reminded me of my son. I let him go
because he reminded me of my son.

MAX: Okay...then was it because of the Archers?

MR. BEATTY: What?

MAX: Who owns this cabin?

MR. BEATTY: I do. (muttering) Sort of.

MAX: So...Warren Archer and his muscle didn't pay you to keep Riley quiet about his
parentage?

MR. BEATTY: Maxine, what are you on about?

MAX: I have...pretty solid proof that Riley's actually an Archer. Which means he's set to inherit
quite a lot if he wanted to make claim. And you've got a stack of money in your bedroom so-
MR. BEATTY: Whoa, whoa, slow down there, young lady, how do you know about that?

MAX: So? Was it Mr. Archer?

MR. BEATTY: No. It wasn't.

MAX: Well, then why do it? And where is he?

MR. BEATTY: I don't know why he didn't go running home right away when I let him go...I told
him to lay low and I didn't think...I thought he'd at least tell his parents he was okay-

MAX: Mr. Beatty, what happened?

MR. BEATTY: There's something wrong with the mine. Something that could take down the
entire project.

MAX: I know.

MR. BEATTY: Of course you do.

MAX: And Riley knew too.

MR. BEATTY: That was the problem. Hal found out Riley was digging for evidence that the mine
was dangerous and...he couldn't have that. Hastings' entire livelihood is counting on this project
moving forward.

MAX: That can't possibly be true! It's just a new mine, Hastings has been fine since the old one
shut down-

MR. BEATTY: There's a lot you don't know about this town, Maxine.

MAX: I refuse to believe that some environment-poisoning pit in the middle of the woods is
important enough to justify kidnapping someone-

MR. BEATTY: To certain people, anything is justifiable.

MAX: Who? You?

MR. BEATTY: I was going to lose my house, Max. This one too. And they're...they're the only
things I have left of him.

MAX: But what does that have to do with-

MR. BEATTY: Hal was the one who asked me to do it. Not the Archers. I haven't paid my
property taxes in years - I haven't been able to afford to - but Hal is...he cares, you know? About
the people in this town. So we made a deal.

MAX: What kind of deal?

MR. BEATTY: When he needs something done that he can't do himself...he calls me. That
muscle you mentioned earlier- well, Warren has a similar man - two men in fact - in his employ.
But Hal doesn't like relying on Warren for everything so...that's where I come in.

MAX: And Riley...

MR. BEATTY: He just needed Riley to stay quiet. Just for a little while.

MAX: So you did kidnap him. That night, when Riley went missing...you went out that night and
you- you took him-

MR. BEATTY: I took him here. Told him to stay quiet, stay put until all the contracts were signed
and the old mine was demo'd.

MAX: What was the shovel and tarp for?

MR. BEATTY: I needed to get his bike out of view somehow. It was evidence. I couldn't just
have it lying around.

MAX: Oh my god...

MR. BEATTY: Wait, how do you know about that anyway? (then) Ross Teller. I knew that kid
was spying on me.

SFX: Max starts to pace.

MAX: Well, I guess he was right to! You- you're a kidnapper-

MR. BEATTY: And yet here you are, standing in an empty cabin in the middle of the woods at
night with me, and you don't seem scared of me at all.

MAX: I'm not.

MR. BEATTY: And why is that?

SFX: Max stops pacing.

MAX: I...I don't know. I just never have been.

MR. BEATTY: I'm glad to hear it. Most of the other neighborhood kids run the other way when
they see me coming.

MAX: I know that, but you're...I don't think you'd ever actually hurt anyone, Mr. Beatty. (then) Am
I wrong?

MR. BEATTY: You're in no danger from me, Max. But that doesn't mean I haven't hurt people.
Maybe not in the way you're talking about, but I've...I've made a lot of mistakes.

MAX: I think they're actually called "crimes" in this case.

MR. BEATTY: That's fair. (then) But Riley was safe as houses the entire time he was here-

MAX: Yeah, except where is he?

MR. BEATTY: I don't know.

MAX: Come on-

MR. BEATTY: No, no, really, Max, I don't know. (then) I let him go. Almost a week ago. And
since then...I don't know where he's been.

MAX: Okay. Okay, so...let me walk through this. You're in the Mayor's pocket because you want
to hold onto your house, so you kidnap Riley Stevens off the street to keep him quiet about the
new mine being dangerous, you keep him here in your creepy, pick-axe cabin, but then let him
go, telling him to stay out of the way and keep quiet about the fact that the new mine is going to
kill us all-

MR. BEATTY: It's really not as serious as it sounds-

MAX: I'm not done. And instead of going home, Riley goes to hide out in the empty inn, where
he runs away the moment he sees me for some reason- (then) Wait, unless he wasn't running
away from me but from Alana- Elena- whoever she is. Maybe Riley didn't put those files in the
ceiling at all...maybe it was Ms. Honeywell.

MR. BEATTY: What files? What are you talking about?

MAX: It- it's not important right now. I don't think. Not until we find Riley.

MR. BEATTY: You said he was staying at the inn...that's good, that's safe.

MAX: Except he's not there anymore. And if I know Riley, he hasn't been lying low. He's
probably been trying to put together more evidence about the mine.
MR. BEATTY: That's what I'm afraid of.

MAX: So maybe he's on his way to the demolition...to try and stop it.

MR. BEATTY: I hope that's true.

MAX: I thought you wanted the mine to go forward.

MR. BEATTY: I want Riley to be okay. And if he makes a big scene at the demolition, Hal won't
try to silence him.

MAX: Do you realize how insane this all is? Doing this much just for some stupid,
money-grubbing mine?

MR. BEATTY: That's not why I did it. I just wanted to keep my home.

MAX: And you think that makes you any different from Hal? You're both trying to hold on so
tightly to what's always been, that he can't see what could be.

MR. BEATTY: You love Hastings just as much as us, Max. I know you do, I've seen it- your
whole life you've loved this place.

MAX: Loving something doesn't mean never wanting it to change. And love...love isn't love
when it hurts other people.

SFX: Beatty stands up.

MR. BEATTY: So let's go. Down to the demolition. If we hurry, maybe we can stop it.

MAX: Ross should be there by now, anyway- I know he'll do everything he can to stop it.

MR. BEATTY: Ross Teller's been helping you out with this?

MAX: Well, he wasn't just spying on you for fun.

MR. BEATTY: And he was supposed to meet you at the ceremony?

MAX: Yeah. He was going to City Hall first to get proof of the new mine being dangerous.

MR. BEATTY: But I- I saw him biking the opposite direction on my way here.

MAX: What?
MR. BEATTY: Yeah, nearly ran him over too. Had to stop and yell at him for a minute, not that I
ever mind doing that.

MAX: Did he say where he was going?

MR. BEATTY: Well, we didn't exactly chat, but he certainly wasn't headed to the demo, unless
he was taking a long way around.

MAX: Which way was he headed?

MR. BEATTY: Same direction as me, but he cut into the woods earlier.

MAX: I don't get it...why would he do that?

MR. BEATTY: He know you're here?

MAX: Of course.

MR. BEATTY: Maybe he came to tell you something.

MAX: Then where is he.

MR. BEATTY: (sighing) Guess we got two kids to find now. Come on, the demo's only a mile
and a half from here if we cut over the ridge - we'll see if we spot him on our way.

SFX: He picks up the pick axe.

MAX: Okay, but what is the axe for?

MR. BEATTY: Oh. Well. I thought maybe I might have to do some...some rescuing.

MAX: Rescuing?

MR. BEATTY: I started to think...if Riley is free but didn't go back to his parents, maybe he got
snatched again. And maybe...maybe he'd be trapped somewhere.

MAX: And you would need a pick axe because...(realizing) Oh god, you think he's trapped in the
old mines?

MR. BEATTY: It's where Hal said I should keep him the first time around. I put my foot down so
fast, I think Hal was worried I was gonna step on him. (then) But if you say Riley's been in the
inn, then hopefully we don't have to worry about that.

MAX: Wait, but...if that's what Hal wanted in the first place...he called. Before you got here.
MR. BEATTY: What?

MAX: Yeah, he called and he said that he'd "cleaned up your mess".

MR. BEATTY: No, no, that's not good.

MAX: Why?

MR. BEATTY: If Hal has "cleaned it up" without me, that means he's turned to his last resort.

MAX: Meaning...

MR. BEATTY: He would have called Warren.

MAX: And his scary looking men.

MR. BEATTY: Not just scary looking, Max. Why didn't you tell me that Hal had called-

MAX: I was a little focused on the fact that you were confessing to kidnapping Riley.

MR. BEATTY: Do you know where he called from?

MAX: No, but I'm assuming he's at the demolition right now, so-

MR. BEATTY: Goddammit, if he's set Warren's lackeys on Riley, he's in a lot more danger than
he was before. We've got to move-

MUSIC TRANSITION

EXT. WOODS

SFX: Mr. Beatty and Max go walking hastily through the woods, on an upward incline.

MR. BEATTY: Alright, one of the higher elevation mine entrances is just up through these trees
here-

MAX: You really think that Warren would have had his men put Riley in a mine that's about to be
collapsed?

MR. BEATTY: Do you know what this mining project means to the Archers? Minotaur Mining is
set on getting their claws into this whole region- if the Archers have a stake in that, they'll be
richer than God.

MAX: They already are.

SFX: They continue up the incline when-

MAX: Wait a second-

SFX: She rushes over to something on the ground in front of her.

MAX: This is- this is Ross' bike.

MR. BEATTY: What? Are you sure?

SFX: She runs a bit further, spinning around.

MAX: Ross??? Ross are you here??

MR. BEATTY: Ross!

SFX: Then, very distantly...a voice.

RILEY: (very faint) Max?

MAX: Ross?

SFX: Max goes running, Mr. Beatty following.

MAX: Ross!

RILEY: (distant) Max!!

MAX: Wait, is that-

MR. BEATTY: Teller, where are you?

RILEY: (distant) Help!!

MAX: That's not Ross.

SFX: She runs faster.

MAX: This way!

SFX: Mr. Beatty runs after.

MAX: Riley??
RILEY: (distant) I’m here, Max!! Max!!

MR. BEATTY: It's coming from up there! Where the entrance is-

RILEY: (distant) Max!

MAX: Riley, we're coming!!

SFX: Max and Beatty run and run when suddenly-

SFX: BOOM! A massive explosion and then the sound of rocks crumbling as the underground
mine collapses in on itself.

MAX: (screaming) Riley!!!

SFX: On the sound of the crumbling rock we-

FADE TO:

CREDITS MUSIC

LAUREN SHIPPEN: Thank you for listening to Season 1 of Maxine Miles and for being a part of
the investigation. As we wait for Season 2, feel free to listen to the other two endings and see
where another choice would have led. Also be sure to follow us on twitter @atypicalartists for
updates about the show. Maxine Miles was created by Lauren Shippen and is a production of
Atypical Artists and iHeartRadio. This episode was written and directed by Lauren Shippen.
Dialogue editing and sound design by Marisa Ewing of Hemlock Creek Productions, with editing
assistance from Lowri Ann Davies and Melissa Pons. It featured Jordan Cobb as Maxine Miles,
Mike Cefalo as Ross Teller, Nate DuFort as Mr. Beatty, and Briggon Snow as Riley Stevens.
Original artwork by Shae McMullin For more information about the show, please visit
maxinemiles.com. Maxine Miles is executive produced by Lauren Shippen and iHeartRadio.
And for more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Thank you for listening and keep curious.