VICTORIA WINTERS V.O.Today a spring storm rains down on Collinwood, beating a rapid tattoo against its windows. While some distance away at Wyndclyffe Sanitarium the storm brings more than a rattling of window-panes to those within its walls.
INTERIOR: WYNDCLYFFE SAN. JULIA'S OFFICE
DR. JULIA HOFFMAN is seated behind her desk reviewing patient files. The sound of heavy rain striking the window is heard. The anniversary clock on the mantel strikes two o'clock. JULIA checks her wristwatch and glances at the anniversary clock, comparing the two. She adjusts her wristwatch. The intercom buzzes and JULIA hits the button.
JULIA: Yes?
INTERCOM: Dr. Hoffman, your two o'clock is here.
JULIA: Very well. Show him in.
The door opens and a man carrying wet rain coat and a briefcase enters. He is in his early thirties. He is short with wavy dark hair and a high forehead. He has heavy eyebrows and intense dark eyes. Beneath a short hawk like nose his mouth is a grim slit. This is MIKE ATKINS.
ATKINS: Dr. Hoffman, thank you for seeing me on this short notice. My name is Mike Atkins. I'm a private investigator and I'm here in regards to one of your employees.
JULIA: (Taken aback) Yes?
ATKINS: The employee is one you recently hired, Lucy Butler.
ROLL CREDITS
RETURN FROM CREDITS
SCENE ONE: JULIA'S OFFICE
JULIA: Please-ah- have a seat, Mr. Atkins.
ATKINS: Thank you.
JULIA: (briskly) I really don't believe I can be of much help to you in this matter, Mr. Atkins. Lucy Butler has only been an employed here for the last three weeks and I...
ATKINS holds up his hand.
ATKINS: Dr. Hoffman, before you go any further, I want to inform you that I am well aware that you were roommates with Miss Butler back at university. This investigation originates from those days.
JULIA: I'm really at a loss as to what to say...
ATKINS opens his briefcase and removes several files and a Notebook. He opens the notebook and glances at it.
ATKINS: Dr. Hoffman, on Oct. 5th 1967, outside of Rochester, New York, an abandoned storage facility was being demolished. In the basement the remains of four adult males were discovered. Dental records identified them as Alan Beardsley, Frank Giotto, Joshua Reynolds and Andy Wyeth. Are you familiar with those names?
JULIA: They - they were the - the medical students that disappeared back in 1953.
ATKINS: When we looked back at the original investigation that was conducted at the time of their disappearance it seems that Lucy Butler was involved with each of them. Were you aware of her connection with these four men?
JULIA: I -I really don't recall at this time. She might have mentioned them, but it's been almost twenty years since that happened.
ATKINS: Sixteen years, actually. Her own disappearance after the authorities began their inquiries cast a dark cloud over her head.
JULIA: How did they die?
ATKINS: All that was left were skeletal remains, so cause of death is inconclusive; but we believe that they were tortured.
JULIA: Tortured?
ATKINS: Each skull showed evidence of trauma inflicted by animal canines. Their faces had been literally torn off by a large carnivore.
JULIA: Couldn't...couldn't that have been done by stray dogs after they had died?
ATKINS: Highly unlikely. None of the other bones showed any evidence of teeth marks; only the skulls.
JULIA: And you believe Lucy Butler is responsible for their deaths?
ATKINS: As I said before, Dr. Hoffman, Lucy Butler's running away during the initial investigation suggests that she knows something. When I started trying to track her down it was an extremely cold trial but when I finally found a trace of her where abouts it dates back to 1954 in Cleveland, Ohio.
ATKINS picks up a file and opens it.
ATKINS: Do you remember the Sam Sheppards case. It got a lot of national coverage at the time. It happened in the Cleveland suburb of Bay Village.
JULIA: Vaguely. Wasn't he the doctor who was convicted of killing his wife?
ATKINS: Yes, even though Sheppard has continued to maintain that his wife was beaten to death by an intruder in their home. His wife suffered more then thirty blows to the head. Sheppard claims that he fell asleep watching t.v. in the living room and was awakened by his wife calling him . When he went upstairs he was knocked out. He says when he came to his wife was dead. Sheppard says he followed a tall dark haired male out of his house and engaged in a struggle with the man. Sheppard says he was knocked out again. The intruder was never found. The jury never believed Sheppard's version of events. After all, it was brought out that Sam sheppard had been having an affair, and that must make a man a liar. They found him guilty.
JULIA: And where does Lucy Butler fit into this?
ATKINS: Miss Butler was working at the Bay View Hospital . It was a 110 bed osteopathic hospital run by Sam Sheppard's father and brother, Sam worked there also. When investigators began questioning nurses at the hospital to find out if Sam had been having any affairs with them, Miss Butler did another disappearing act.
JULIA: I really fail to see...
ATKINS ignores Julia and opens another file.
ATKINS: Boston, October 27th, 1964 , a young woman report to the police that a man came into her bedroom, held a knife to her throat, tied her up, fondled her, said "I'm sorry." and left. The woman's description of the perp led to the arrest of Albert Desalvo. When Desalvo's photo was published in the paper many women came forward and identified him as the one who had assaulted them. While being held on the rape charges, for reasons only known to Desalvo, Albert began to confess in great detail to the crimes that had been attributed to the Boston Strangler. Despite his confession, there wasn't any hard evidence to convict him for the murders of the 13 women so he was tried for robbery and rape. He's sitting in prison even as we speak. The psychiatrists are studying him, trying to determine why a happily married, mild mannered man, like Albert Desalvo, would commit these horrendous crimes.
ATKINS tosses a file on Julia's desk.
ATKINS: From June 14, 1962 to January 4th, 1964 thirteen women died at the hands of what was dubbed the Boston Strangler. Would you be interested in reading about the victims? They ranged in age from 19 to 85. They crossed racial lines. They were strangled with items of their clothing, belts, stockings, tights. He left a New Year's greeting card between the toes of one of his victims feet. Some showed signs of rape, others showed no sign of rape. Some were sodomized with-
JULIA: (forcefully) Mr. Atkins! Enough! I do not wish to hear a litany of this madman's atrocities.
ATKINS: Tell me Dr. Hoffman. What kind of questions do you think the psychiatrists ask Albert Desalvo?
JULIA remains silent.
ATKINS: Do you suppose that one of the questions they will NEVER ask Albert is "Who was your neighbor between March 15th, 1962 through Oct. 30th, 64?" I'm sure they will never ask that question. The answer is not that hard to discover, as all the records for the utility bills are in the name "Lucille Butler"
JULIA:Mr. Atkins I really must inform you that I have a busy schedule here and I'm afraid...
ATKINS opens another file.
ATKINS: On the evening of July 13th, 1966, Richard Speck-
JULIA gasps at the name Richard Speck, as she recognizes it.
ATKINS pauses for a second and then continues.
ATKINS: Richard Speck, under the heavy influence of alcohol and drugs entered a two story townhouse in Chicago. At that time, six of the nine nurses who live there are home. Speck ties them up with bed sheets and proceeds to methodically butcher them. Later that evening the final three nurses return home from their dates having no idea what awaits for them inside the townhouse. Two of the three become victims to Specks killing spree. Thankfully for one of the nurses, Speck is so high that he has lost count of the number of women in the house and she escapes her fellow nurses fate by hiding under the bed.
JULIA: Are you going to tell me that Lucy was the one who hid under the bed?
ATKINS: No, that was Corazon Amurao. Lucy Butler had moved out of the town house that morning.
JULIA sits in silence for a moment, than a visage of dawning terror crosses her features.
JULIA: My god! Oh, my god!
ATKINS: Dr. Hoffman? Are you all right?
JULIA: Lucy told me she had just come from Detroit. What horror could she have left behind there?
ATKINS: Not to be flippant, Dr. Hoffman, but have you read any of the recent crime statistics out of Detroit? I believe you would have trouble to narrow it down to any one.
JULIA: Can't the authorities stop her?
ATKINS: As I've pointed out, Dr. Hoffman, there is no hard evidence against her. You have to remember that we were not even aware of Lucy Butler until 67 when the remains of those medical students were discovered. For the last 2 years we've been tracking her movements, trying to get a fix on exactly what Lucy Butler is.
JULIA: You keep saying "we".. Who else are you referring to?
ATKINS: The MILLENIUM Group.
ATKIN hands JULIA his card. On it are the Ouroboros symbol and the words Millennium Group.
ATKINS: We are what you would call a consulting group for law enforcement. It's made up of ex FBI, retired police detectives, former military intelligence officers, and forensic specialists.
JULIA: And what are you?
ATKINS: I don't understand the question?
JULIA: You seem too young to be a retired police officer, so that leaves...
ATKINS: Former Navel Intelligence. But my history is not important. I wish to put Lucy Butler under surveillance and I will need your cooperation in this.
JULIA: Anything.
ATKINS: I believe it would be easier for us to keep track of her if you switch Lucy's schedule over to the day shift.
JULIA: I believe that can be arranged. Is there anything else?
ATKINS: I'm going to have to ask you to also "hire" two new "orderlies". If you could inform Personal of these new employees it will be a great help.
JULIA: I'll see to it.
END OF SCENE ONE
SCENE TWO
INT. COLLINWOOD: THE ENTRANCE FOYER
The foyer is empty of any people. We can hear the muffled sound of rain falling out side. The grandfather clock strikes the quarter hour. It is 2:15. The phone begins to ring. MRS. JOHNSON, the housekeeper, enters carrying a dust rag and picks up the phone.
MRS. JOHNSON: Hello... Hello?... Is there anybody there? (We hear a loud crackle of static over the line) Hello? Can you hear me? (the line goes dead.)
Mrs. Johnson hangs up the phone.
MRS. JOHNSON: Hmph! This kind of weather always plays havoc with these phones. Well, if it's important they'll call back.
Mrs. Johnson turns to leave and is about to go through the library doors to continue her dusting when the phone rings again. Mrs. Johnson answers it.
MRS. JOHNSON: Hello, Collinswood... Yes, I believe he is in... Hold on a minute.
Mrs. Johnson puts down the phone and calls up the stairs.
MRS. JOHNSON: David! David ! There is a phone call for you.
We hear running feet and DAVID COLLINS come charging down the stairs. He snatches the phone out of Mrs. Johnson's hand.
DAVID: Hello?
We now hear the voice on the other end. It is the voice of LUCY BUTLER.
LUCY: David, I'm so glad to talk to you. How are you doing.
DAVID: Gosh, Lucy, I guess I'm doing okay. How have you been.
LUCY: Oh, I've been pretty busy. Have you been keeping up with watching the changing phases of the moon, David?
DAVID: Not really. It's not the same unless you're there. You always have such great stories to tell about the moon. It's just... I don't know... just kinda boring to look at it by myself.
LUCY: Well, David, I have some good news about that. I have a feeling that I'm soon going to have my evening free so we can go back to using your telescope on Widows Hill.
DAVID: (very excited) That's great! I can hardly wait.
LUCY: As a matter of fact, why don't we plan on meeting there tomorrow evening.
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