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The People Across the Lake (1988)
[DOOR CLOSES]
[PANTING] [GRUNTS] WOMAN: Who's there? Ah. Please. No. No. [WATER SPLASHING] MAN: No. I can't. [DOG BARKING] [CAR LOCK BEEPS] [SIGHS] [ALARM SOUNDING] I'm home! [SIGHS] Trust me on this one, okay? Listen, I'm the best broker you ever had, and you know it. Did you eat? Fred, this stock is a great investment. Huh? Okay. Terrific. Five thousand shares. You're covered as soon as the bell rings in the morning. I look awful. Bye, pal. My skin is turning pea-green. Smog. Pizza. What? I said we ordered a cou... George. Hi, Chuck Yoman here. How you doing, pal? Damn it! Nobody ever rinses this thing. Oh. [SIGHS] [SCREAMS] Chuck! Chuck! CHUCK: What's wrong? Chuck! A man, he's... I saw a man in that window! [MUSIC PLAYING] Where's the baseball bat? Stevie, where the hell is the bat? Don't do anything stupid! Chuck! [GLASS SHATTERS] [BEEPING] All right, hold it. Stay where you are. [DOORBELL RINGS] Come on. I called 911, Dad. Good. Hey, Rachel, Chuck. It's me, Morris. Morris Alexsis from next door. Gee, I'm sorry. Morris, was that you outside the window? Ah, yeah. What the hell were you doing out there? Well, I got locked out of my house, you see. So you climb across my fence. Why didn't you use the door?Get me a robe, honey. What're you nuts or something? Here, take the bat.I need one, honey. Any robe. Go get me a robe. Take the bat. [POLICE SIREN BLARING] Cops are quick when you don't need 'em, eh? Jeez. Thank you, dear. Sorry, fellas. It's a false alarm. My wife thought she heard or saw an intruder. Turns out to be our neighbor. RACHEL: How embarrassing. [INDISTINCT CHATTER] Somebody get killed, or what? Who knows? Bye. See you, babe. [TIRES SCREECHING] Mom thought she saw a burglar in the window, only it was Mr. Alexis. Pathetic. What was that? Go away, please. It's okay. Thanks, fellas. Listen, my name is Alexis. And I just live next door. COP: All right... Well, did you go to a movie? Eh, a club. Hmm? What was that? Somebody ate all the berries. Lisa. Lisa, I do not want you hanging around with people who drive like that. That boy must have been going, what, 60 miles an hour. Mom. I mean it! I don't like him. I don't like what you're wearing. What's wrong with you tonight? I mean, first you think you see a rapist in the window. Now you're picking on my friends and...Lisa! Do not change the subject, Lisa! Mom. Okay, seriously. Don't get mad. Okay. I'm listening. I think you're overreacting. I think maybe it's time you saw a shrink. Now don't, no, I'm serious. I mean, he wasn't going 60 miles an hour, you know. You know. Good night. I hate the way she smiles that damn teenage smirk. She's going down the tubes, Chuck. You know that, don't you? Oh, that's right, Chuck. Ignore me. I'm not. I'm trying to read this article. It's okay. I'm used to it. Don't open that. The alarm's on. Ah, locked in. Fake air. Look, I know my boy from the big city can take it, but Chuck, I'm telling you, I am from lake country. Ah, the glories of the Midwest speech. Good night. Good night. [SAND RUSTLING] MAN: [ON RADIO] Two armed men held up a liquor store on Van Nuys Boulevard CHUCK: Listen, try to get my wife. Hello? MAN: [ON RADIO] The assailants proceeded across the street to a coffee shop, where they held thirty people hostage...Hello? Before surrendering... Can, can you hear me? The weather for the L.A. Basin will continue...Yeah. Find out if she can pick up Stevie. Santa Ana winds keep temperatures in the high nineties. Ah, I've been stuck for an hour now. [HORNS HONKING] No, not a chance. I'll be lucky to get home by 7:00. Oh, and listen. Hello? Hello? WOMAN: [ON RADIO] Is heavily congested from Tally Boulevard all the way to the Slomin's Freeway. Ten. It's 10,000 down, Mr. Franklin. Rachel. Yeah? Caravan on Tuesday, 11:00 sharp. Oh, and the Johnson escrow closes Thursday. Well, see, First National'll give you a mortgage. Nine-and-a-half percent, adjustable. What? Sure they will. Believe me. Chuck, that house on the lake. What? The Jackson place. Okay, this is crazy, but, it's for sale. Lake? Well, I told the agency. The Jackson place? Yes, honey, it's a steal. But, it's probably rotting, huh? I mean, forget it. Right? It's, it's ridiculous. We can't just... I mean, we're... It would be totally irresponsible.Oh. The place on Tomahawk Lake. Yes. Mmm. Anyway, I told them, "No. Absolutely not." Yeah. We're just... Not interested. You really can't be serious about this. Goodbye, Paine Webber, goodbye L.A. I don't wanna be a redneck. We're gonna be sailing on our new lake. You know, we ought to get a wood-burning stove. Yeah, yeah. I still don't believe this. Dad, what's the difference between a chemist and a biochemist? We're gonna be poor! Lisa, your father is gonna make windsurfing boards. Oh, and what are you gonna do, Mom, bake bread? This isn't the '60s. Your mother's gonna run the business. Put your seat belt on. You know, you buy a falling-apart shack. You rent our beautiful house in the suburbs to some family that'll for sure trash it. Lisa, if we hate it, we will go back next year. I hate it. Can we go back? Put your seat belt on. Over your mouth. [INDISTINCT] Porch is tilted. They really knew how to build houses in those days. Look at this door. Look at this. Yeah, it's ten feet thick. Beautiful. The water's rusty. Hey, Rache. Yeah? Right here. What? Put the alarm right here. Oh. [LAUGHS] Mmm. No more alarms, huh? Right. Excuse me. STEVIE: Ah, excuse me, Dad. [CHUCKLES] RACHEL: Come on... This goes in our bedroom. Stevie, would you watch it? It doesn't go anywhere, if I don't get it upstairs. Okay, honey. You're right. Just in the hall. Oh, look at this. "Home Sweet Home." I bet the Jacksons left this behind for us. Oh, yeah, I'm sure that's what happened. That's why they left it turned against the wall on the staircase, Mom. If they want it back, I'll send it to them. Ah, ten minutes in the country and she's already a thief. [CHUCKLES] You are going to love it here, you hear me? Now trust me. Ha. There. Cannonball! [SCREAMING] Mom, would you look at him? RACHEL: He's gonna jump. Ooh. Jeez, he's gonna splash. [EXCLAIMS] [RACHEL CHUCKLING] [SIGHS] Oh, this feels so great. Isn't this great? Yeah, looks great. STEVIE: Hey! Great, huh? What do you think? [CHUCKLES] How much would a baby like that cost? I'm gonna start 'em at five fifty, Duane. Somebody could break their neck on it. We don't allow no loud motors on the lake. It doesn't have a motor, Mr. Benelman. I just thought I'd tell you. We had a couple of city kids last summer, and they tried to set up a speedboat concession. You remember that, Duane? Yeah. We booted them out fast. We got rid of them. Yeah. Poor little Kathleen Fitzsimmons. When her sailing boat overturned, it hit her smack on top of the head. Never been quite right since. The boards are foam filled. Looks like Tomahawk Lake's gonna make you a lot of money. Hope so. [LAUGHING] CHUCK: Shh. Shh. LISA: What? Shh. [LAUGHING] DUANE: Hi. Hi. Evening folks. RACHEL: Hi. Evening. We're just passing through. We took a little shortcut through your woods there. Name's Bryce. Malcolm Bryce. Ah, Chuck Yoman, and this is... Oh, he knows who you are, Chuck. Uh, you're the windsurfer fella. Yeah. [MALCOLM LAUGHS] Word travels fast around here. Don't it though? Say, how about a nice little bunny for your supper? Oh, thank you, no. Oh, it's no trouble. I got a real nice one in here. It's sick. [CHUCKLES] No, no, no, no, no, please. No. My old lady's the same way, squeamish. Looks like it might cloud up, and rain a little bit this afternoon. Getting' a little dark up there. Come on along, Malcolm. Hmm? Come on along. Oh, yeah. Well, if you folks need anything, just holler. I live right over there next to Duane and Rosie. Nice meeting you. Bye. MALCOLM: Bye. Boy, honey, aren't they right off an old cover of The Saturday Evening Post? Hmm. It feels like the 1940s. No muggers. No thieves. No locked doors. [LAUGHING] Rachel, Rachel What can I tell you, they're strange. RACHEL: You dancing devil. Give me your answer... Oh, he sings, too. [COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING] Thanks, Dad. Did it come yet? Huh? The bus, it's supposed to be here at 7:30. It's 7:45. Maybe we missed it. I can't be late on day one. Mr. Sloan always forgets this route. Last year he missed Tomahawk Lake 12 times. Excused absences? Yeah. Great, huh? Yeah. 12 times? Whoo! Oh, that's cold. Oh. Oh, yeah. Having some fun now. Damned weeds. [SCREAMS] So you claim you picked up a dead body. No, I didn't pick it up. It got stuck on my leg. I dragged the damn thing. And you called me, and just a few minutes later, that body picked itself up and walked away. It wasn't a whole body. Oh, well. Mister, you know what, it couldn't been was those tall weeds out there. I mean, this lake is full of 'em, so... It was human. And I left the thing right here. I went back to my place, I called you guys. I made myself a drink. Was that before or after you saw the body? After. Chuck? Chuck? It's all right, honey. It's okay.What is going on? Huh? Hey, afternoon, ma'am. Hello. I'm Glen Boignton. Sheriff of Tomahawk. This here's my deputy. John Bryce. Yeah. Oh, Malcolm's son? Yes, ma'am. What is happening here, fellas? Well, Mr. Yoman thought he saw something in the lake.GLEN: John. There was a dead body here. What? A body. Bodies don't come and go as they please. This one did. Who could it have been? Well, when that woman disappeared last year... What you probably saw was a log. The lake plays tricks with your eyes. Could have been anything. Boots, jackets. [CHUCKLES] During the summer, this place becomes a regular lover's lane. I've come across, well, discarded blouses, and just the damnedest things. I saw a body. Mr. Yoman, I will look into it, but I haven't got much to go on. You coming, John? No. I'll walk. [DOOR CLOSES] [ENGINE STARTS] Here, honey. John? It's a beautiful view you've got here, ma'am. It's fabulous. Real nice. Yeah. So, John, what about that woman who disappeared? I thought maybe it was related to the others, but... What others? The Sheriff likes to keep these matters confidential, sir. What matters? Well, ma'am. Murders. Murders? Well, let me take that back, now. Um... Let's see, we can't be certain. I mean, the, the bodies were mutilated. CHUCK: What? Well, so they could have been an animal that got at 'em. At whom? I'd really rather not say. How many? Ah, three. Murders? Bodies, ma'am. Not necessarily murders. I want to thank you for the coffee. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Just when exactly were these bodies discovered? Over the past fifteen years. Unsolved? Well, yes, ma'am, but not the lack of trying. Oh, right. I saw how diligent your sheriff is. All women? No, there's one man. From town? Well, no, he was a summer visitor. The others, well, they weren't exactly able to identify the remains. Oh, God. John, is this place safe? I mean, my, our children... Yes, ma'am. Oh, no, this is a real quiet town. I mean we got an occasional bar brawl here, you know, uh, Eli the electrician goes off the deep end once in a while, but it's nothing to worry about. And there's Henry Link, lives over in those woods. Yeah? They say he was always real fond of the military. [CHUCKLES] Still is in a way. Gosh. I really should be going. Mr. Yoman, sir, hope this afternoon wasn't too discouraging for you. Well, it's... It gives me such a warm feeling seeing how good this place looks now. John, one for the road? Thank you. Um, you call me if you need me? Thanks. Ooh. Hmm. Let's not tell the kids yet, hon, okay? I mean, till we're absolutely certain. Rache, I saw a body. Pieces of a dead body. But... But what? Where did it go? I don't know. Maybe... Honey, maybe that's what you saw. Chuck. Ah, Chuck. Wait. See you later, Ma. Wait up. Debbie Mortimer, you do your psychiatry homework now, you hear? Psychology, Ma! Well, I don't care what you call it, honey, You promised me. Lord Almighty, I don't know how I'm gonna get that child to buckle down. Oh, I think I'm gonna have to have a teensy bit of that cherry vanilla. I know I shouldn't do it, but I'm gonna do it. Oh, sure. Come on join me. [SIGHS] Now here's to you, and your new home. Thank you, Ruth. It's a shame the Jacksons let that place go to pot, though. 'Course they were awful old, and just summer folk. Got so towards the end, they were only here, oh, one, two weeks out of the whole year. Said to my husband, Duane, I said, "Duane, it's just a shame to see that Jackson place going to waste." So you were just telling me, Ruth, about, uh... I mean, I understand there have been some disappearances. Murder. That was murder, pure and simple, no other word for it. Now the men in this town, they like to be real hush, hush about that. Men in this town are like a bunch of old biddies about that. Like Eli and his electrical shop. Do you know that he will not allow a woman to set one foot inside of that shop of his? Now why is that, I ask myself? That man is not right in the head, Rachel. The last murder was five years ago. No. Honey, it was just last spring. That was an old grandpa too. Now why would somebody want to murder somebody that had one foot already in the grave? It just doesn't make no sense. And the one before that was a young bride. Oh, that is the one that just gives me the creeps whenever I think about it, because that body was so mutilated. It was just awful. Now, I have my theories about all this, but well, my husband Duane. Well, Duane. Anyway, I think that there are certain residents of Tomahawk, in particular one Mr. Henry Link, that ought to be watched. Really close. That's my theory. Shall I freshen that up for you girl? Oh, no, thanks, Ruth. I'm just fine. So how'd you find out about all this? Certainly not from Sheriff Boignton, that tight-lipped old coot. Well, my husband thought he saw something in the lake. Girl, you have got to have a teensy bit more of that cherry vanilla. [HOWLING] How you doing, Duane, Eli? This is where you build 'em? Yeah. Hi, sweetheart. Oh. Hi. Hey, Mrs. Yoman. Hey, Chuck, you got it made. The old lady does the footwork and the P.R. You stay here with the men. You guys want some fish? Well... Oh, no thanks. You get that over at the fish fry stand? RACHEL: Yeah. Tasty, is it? Oh, it's very good. ELI: Comes right out of the lake.Mmm-hmm. Old Sam catches all his fish right off the dock. We thought you Yomans weren't up to eating lake fish. If you people are gonna live around here, better learn the difference between a log, and your imagination. Now hold on, Eli. How many fish and chips do you think old Sam's gonna sell to the tourists if you start telling 'em that the fish have been feeding of dead bodies? Damned summer folk. Ought to go back to the city where they come from. Boy. What was that? Welcome wagon? Come on. It's, it's delicious. You're on my property. Okay, buddy, there's no need to point a gun at us. Ah, there's a need. Turn around. Both of you. Fast! You got ten seconds to get! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. [GUNSHOT] [GASPS] [YELPS] Oh, been taking a stroll in the woods, have you? So the best thing to do is steer clear of Henry Link. Guy ought to be put away. [LAUGHS] Well, Mr. Yoman. Henry's got what you might call a territorial instinct. Gets touchy when folks trespass. Touchy? The man shot at us! Mr. Yoman, if Henry had wanted to get you, he would've. Does he live in the woods? Yes, son, most of the time. Stevie, why don't you come over here and help me? Oh, I can give you a hand, Mr. Bryce. Oh, oh, no, no, ma'am. You, you sit down. I'll, I'll take care of it. Kind of make up for Henry Link being so damned ornery. I hope you folks are hungry. Oh, yeah. Very hungry. Yeah? Nothing like a good scare to perk up the appetite, huh? [LAUGHS, WHISTLES] Oh, that is fine workmanship. Yes, sir. Top notch. Did you work on this house, Mr. Bryce? I hear you're a wonderful carpenter. Oh, no, ma'am, I've never been in here before. The Jacksons were kind of private people, you know. Yeah. [CLATTERS] I'll tell you what, Miz Yoman. I'll put a bug in Henry's ear. I'll tell him that what he did might be right militarily, but it's not very neighborly. How you doing over there, young fella? Great. Ooh, look at those teeth. Oh, that could take a chunk outta of you, couldn't it? "When you live in the shadow of insanity, "the appearance of a mind "that thinks and talks like your own is a blessed event." [INDISTINCT CHATTER] LISA: What does it mean? DEBBIE: Now wait. Listen, I'll tell you. This guy thought that Tarzan lived in this head, so... Oh. Yeah, so what'd he do? What? Putrid. Don't know. No. What did he do? What? Oh, oh, you just wanna keep me in suspense. DEBBIE: Wait, I'll tell you. LISA: So tell me. Two crazies at once. Mmm-hmm. "The Berkman Sisters "heard voices that told them to chop the feet off people." Yeah? Folie a Deux. What's it mean? Folie a Deux. Adieu.Um, goodbye. No. Goodbye troubles? DEBBIE: Hold on, hold on, I'll get it, um. Uh, Goodbye feet. Ha, ha, ha, no. Madness of two, stupid. Two whackos, you get it? LISA: What? Okay, okay, I got it. Um, a smart one like me, and a sit-in like you. DEBBIE: I really appreciate this. LISA: Okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry!That's very nice of you. LISA: I don't know why I say these things. I... [SCREAMING] Oh, you... Oh, you stupid! You're dead! You're dead!Happy Halloween! [INDISTINCT] Tearing her apart, are you? I had me a dock once. Sun's going down. Yup, the sun gets low, and the imagination goes haywire. The lake starts playing tricks with your eyes. Ever tell you about the time I seen that Chinese girl? It was sundown. I was about center of the lake fishing. Felt a tug on the line. I pulled hard. I heard a groan. In the water was a woman. She had shiny soft white skin. Long dark hair. Beautiful. Hell, I dove off the boat. I pulled her up to the surface. A big old blowed out inner tube with a white T-shirt stuck to it. To this day, I half believe it was a woman. That she's still out there in the lake waiting to be rescued. Why, I guess that's who Yoman saw. My little China-gal. It was a log. Well, that's not what the town gossips say. I don't give a damn what they say. Well, according to them, what you saw was a... Probably saw a log. Yeah. Probably. Burned down. His dock. If I ever find out who did it. Old Duane's having one of his days. A man's got to take care of his own, Eli. That's the code of the lake. You gonna be all right here all by your lonesome? Hey, Chuck, you see my little China-gal, you tell her Duane's still on the lookout for her, huh? Yo! Come on! Hot shot! Come on. Half a mile to go. [GROWLS] How's that? How's that? Startlingly amazing. You big hunk. Got the ol' sun on my back, too. Yeah. Yeah. Care to prove that, sailor? Whoa! How's that? So, so. So, so. Comme ci comme ca. Uh-huh? Menza menz. Menza menz. Fair to middling. I'll give you fair to middling. Average. Average. What're you doing? Come on, Chuck.I'm unbuttoning your blouse. No, no, come on. Now don't get carried away, silly.Why not? Because... They're our woods. In that case, ooh. Hmm, do you notice something, honey? Hmm? What? We're in a pathway here. What pathway here? I mean, you know. We can't... Ah. Ah. [SCREAMS] What? What are you doing, you fool? I'm getting us off the pathway. Okay. You're serious about this? I'm getting serious. RACHEL: Let's go inside. Ah, don't you tickle me! I'm going to. I'm going to. Stop it! Stop it! [SCREAMING] Chuck! Chuck! CHUCK: Honey. [GASPING] Oh, Chuck, I can't breathe. Okay, look, hold on to me. Hold on to me. Oh, honey, I can't breathe. Hold on to me. I can't catch my breath. Come on, sit down. Sit down, baby. Sit down. Deep breaths. Just deep breaths. Slow down now. Now, baby, baby, listen to me. Listen to me. What? Honey, I want you to go home. I want you to call the Sheriff.No! No! I'm not leaving you. Yes, baby. You have to. No, I can't. No, you don't.Honey, honey, I have to stay here with it. Yes. No, come with me. No, you don't. Yes, I do, baby. Why? It's dead. Baby. It's a dead thing, Chuck. No, it's not gonna go anywhere. Well, the last one did. You have to do this. No I don't. No, no. Yes, baby, please. No, I can't. Please. Don't tell me. Please, baby. Let's carry it. No, honey, no. Come on, yes. Honey, no. That way we can be together. Come on. Give me your shirt. We'll carry it back. Oh, my God. Chuck, I'm falling apart. Oh, okay, okay. Oh, God. This is awful. [CRYING] Honey, listen to me. Rache. Yes? Listen to me. Listen to me.Okay. Okay. Now, honey, you've got to go to the house. Uh-huh. And call the Sheriff. Uh-huh. Okay? Couldn't we go together? No. No. Go. Go. Okay. Okay? Okay. Go on. Oh, my knees. It's all right, honey. It's all right. You're gonna be okay. You can do this. Okay. Okay. [SNAPPING] Who is it? Okay, old buddy, let's just keep everything in perspective. Thank you. [ENGINE STARTS] So awful. What's that, sweetheart? Oh, nothing, hon. [ENGINE STARTS] Well, at least he can't claim I saw a log. All right, how much we sunk in the business so far? Ten, honey. I told you ten thousand. No, before you said it was... Oh, right, right, right, well, because, you got to count in the year's lease on the shop. Well, that's eighteen. That's another eight. Yes. Eighteen. And our house in L.A. That's leased until... September. Next September. Yeah. Well, we can always buy a gun. Be a heck of a lot cheaper than moving again. No we cannot buy a gun. I won't have a gun in the house, Chuck. If we stay here, we're gonna have to do something. Then it's back to locks and alarms. So much for the peaceful country life. What's that for? Keep out the live ones. You're gonna trap people in it? Isn't that against the law or something? Jungle doesn't have rules. You wanna survive, you put politeness behind you. But suppose like someone fell in and, well, died? The dead ones can't get you, boy. Anyone ever gives you a choice of say, sitting down to supper with a sergeant's cadaver, or feasting with a live general, you sit with the sergeant 'cause he can't harm you. No, sir, his harming days are over. There's a secret in these woods. And don't you go mouthing off, you hear me? I won't. I've been stalking it. What? Time's not right. It's close by. Uh-huh. Boys' eyes. He could be sitting a breath away, and you wouldn't know. But I smell him. Maybe I should go. My Mom will... Death's too fast for you. She said I couldn't go camping. A person could be walking along with a tune in his head, and smile plastered across his face. You take your weapon, just so. [IMITATES GUNSHOT] Knocks him down like that. His soul's in hell or heaven before you can blink your eyes. Go on, Stephen. Go on home. No one ever calls me Stephen. RACHEL: That's all you can tell me, John? Rachel's not asking you to perjure yourself, son. All she wants is the truth. Well, the deceased. Oh, in, in good plain language, John. JOHN: He was a man around 60. And he bled to death. Wow. RACHEL: Stevie. Was he stabbed? Well, we're not sure. You don't know what the murder weapon was? Well, ma'am, Sheriff Boignton thinks it might be a butcher knife. But see, the thing is, he wouldn't buy it right away. See the experts think that he was in maybe a casket or something for at least a few months, before he was, you know, before he was left in the, in your woods. You see, Mom, he could have been killed any place. New York, Las Vegas. Maybe somebody was stealing caskets, or looking for jewels and... [LAUGHING] Well, enough of this detecting. I'm gonna have some more of Rachel's delicious jam. [CHUCKLING] How do you like that bread, Rachel? Mmm. Dad baked that himself. Yeah, my Martha taught me how to take care of myself in the kitchen. [CHUCKLING] Is that a photo of Martha? Yup. Yup. She would like you. She was special. She... Always playing music. Singing. Artistic. You remember, Johnny? Always made sure I had a fresh carnation in my buttonhole. Said it... [SNIFFLES] Said it looked gentlemanly. Dad, I don't think you should. Oh, it's all right, Johnny. [LAUGHS] He's always worried about my feelings. He hates it when I drive up north. That's where it happened, you know. Martha'd gone up to visit her mother. Drunk driver came out of nowhere. She was killed instantly. Family album's mighty precious when a loved one's no longer around. I took this one here when Johnny was just a little bit of a thing. RACHEL: Sweet. Oh, and, and my favorite is right over here. Yeah, that's it. Oh. I, I put the camera on the timer, and then I went around. Boy, this is embarrassing, Malcolm. Our album is in such a mess. Really. I don't think we have one good photo of the whole family. Oh, well. Now that you're settled in, you can get your album in order. You are settling in, aren't you? I'll have to think. Listen, Duane Mortimer is the prime suspect. Oh, geez, Mom, would you cut it out? Eli... He could have done it with his wire cutter, Mom. [SNICKERS] Come on, Rachel, you've been at this for weeks. It's Christmas. Excuse me. Right. Forget that before there are bodies all over our backyard. The guy in the woods died months ago, Mom. Oh, I see. It's okay with everyone that our woods are turning into a cemetery for some mad-man. Okay, okay, Mom. Wait. Just. Equal time. It could be Ruth Mortimer. Oh, oh, wait. Okay, Mom. Seriously. What? Seriously what? She killed him with her big mouth. [LAUGHING] What happened to the needlepoint? Somebody move it? What happened to my Home Sweet Home? Oh, they're all suspects. [CREAKING] [SOFTLY] Chuck! Hmm, what? Honey, I hear something. Do you hear it? [CREAKING] Just stay put. [WHISPERING] What is it? [WHISPERING] I don't know. Gee. Stevie, it's the middle of the night, what are you doing? I'm helping Mr. Link patrol. Mr. Link? Henry Link is a suspect. But, Mother, according to you everybody's a suspect. [THUNDER RUMBLING] Ooh. Wow. Hey, did we leave the lights on? It's creepy. Oh, my. House feels weird. Somebody's been in the house. Dad said I could. No, he said... Would you guys... CHUCK: Hey. All right, freeze. [CAMERA CLICKS] RACHEL: Okay. Smile. This is a smile. No, don't smile. Okay. Of course, okay. [BEEPING] [CAMERA CLICKS] Mom. Hmm? On Thursday, I have to stay late for science club. Okay. Dad, is there anyway you can fix the faucets in here? I mean, the water smells really putrid. RACHEL: Well, we're out of juice. Please remind me, Lisa, will you, honey? CHUCK: These old houses always smell moldy. Do we have any peanut butter? [SCREAMING] I knew it wasn't Henry Link. I knew it. Everybody said he was the dangerous one. He was protecting us. I told you he was our friend, Mom. Stevie, I'll find Link's killer. That's a promise. Whoever did it knows his way around this place. Question is, why Henry Link? What's the motive? Maybe he discovered the real killer. Sheriff. Yeah? This is probably nothing, but one evening the kids and I came home, and we thought somebody had been in the house. Does anybody have a key to your house? No. No we had all new keys made when we moved in. Well, do you know anybody who's got, say, a grudge against you? No. Not that I can think of. Well, now, Mr. Yoman, somebody, somehow, gets through your locked and double-bolted door, empties out the food cupboard, puts the food God knows where, and sticks Henry Link's body into the cupboard where he appears at breakfast. Why? Looks like somebody wants you to leave Tomahawk Lake. [SIGHS] [BLOWS] Evening, folks. How's she doing this evening? Oh. [CLICKING TONGUE] Feeling poorly tonight, Martha? Oh, well, sweetheart, you know I come as often as I can. I'm doing my best. No, I'm not getting soft on Rachel. Hell, I'm doing my best to get 'em out of here. You, you think I like running around up there? Never had this problem when the Jacksons were here. They were here a month, maybe two in the summer at the most. Huh? I know it's lonesome here, but you, you got the Fosters to keep you company. Now, now you're talking crazy, sweetheart. Didn't I bring you that teacher? Nice gal. Brunette. [CHUCKLES] Yeah. Said I was getting too chummy with her, so I had to dump her in the... No, no, sweetheart, don't cry. Look, it, it, it's hard for me, too. Hey, how would you like a nice little son and daughter? A matching pair. Oh, they're real sweet kids. Well, you think about it. Let me know. All I want to do is make you happy, sweetheart. Keep you with me close and safe forever. Well. Would have been nice. Lisa rarely snarls anymore. [CHUCKLES] You noticed? She's almost human. And Stevie deeply into his Swiss Family Robinsonphase. [SIGHS] We were becoming a family. Rache. I don't want to be a stockbroker again. I know. On the other hand, I don't want to get killed by some maniac, either. I know. Gee, it would have been nice. Yeah, it would have been. Wait a minute. Yeah, it's the same bannister. [KNOCKING] [KNOCKING] Hello. Anybody home? [KNOCKING] John? John? Oh. [SIGHS] My bannister. He said he'd never been in my house before. "Home Sweet Home." [DOOR OPENING] Malcolm! I, uh, felt faint. Well, I mean, I was walking in, in the woods, and, uh... Well, I knocked and what I needed was some water, so I just... Forgive me, I, I should've waited outdoors. I... [DOOR CLOSES] My house is your house, Rachel. Did you find it? What? What were you looking for? The glass of water? Oh, yes. Sure. Oh, I, I drank right out of your tap, Malcolm. I was pretty shaky, so I just didn't bother with a glass. I should be going. Hi, John. Afternoon, Mrs. Yoman. Rachel was feeling ill, so she dropped in for a glass of water. Are you feeling better now? Fine. Just fine now. You do look a bit pale, ma'am. Could I take you home? No, thanks, John, because I feel just fine. Take care. Thanks again. Bye. Bye. [GASPS] Rachel, get ahold of yourself. Malcolm Bryce is not a killer. He... The man lied. He lied, that's all. Everybody... Sometimes. Would you shut up? Get home, will you? And stop talking to yourself. Your nice Miss Yoman's looking for trouble. You like that Miss Yoman, don't you? She's all right. She reminds you of somebody, doesn't she? The way she holds her head up to the wind. Who does she remind you of, Johnny? I don't know. The way she can smile and lie at the same time. "I felt faint." Maybe she was telling the truth. She's just like your mother! Foolhardy! [CHUCKLING] They look like pretty little things, but inside... [BLOWS] There's wickedness. Your mother was the same way. Yeah, she pretended to like it here, but... We had our best moments at the house out on the lake, and she liked it. Oh, yes, she did. She refuses to leave now. Simply refuses. She's learned to love it down there by the lake. And she's changed her ways. She's a sweet, loving little wife now, and you couldn't ask for a better mother. Could you think of a better mama, Johnny? No. It isn't my fault she won't chat with you. It's guilt, boy! She recalls that night. Dad. She recalls that night she tried to abandon you. You remember that night, Johnny? You remember when Martha made that little mistake? You watched her tiptoe out the door with moonlight in her hair. "Pa! Pa!" you cried. "Come quick! Mama's running away." Well, didn't I stop her for you? Yes, sir. You were right there when I... I remember, sir. And, and you helped me carry her back. "Now come on, take her feet, son." And you... How old were you, Johnny? Eight. Eight years old, sir. Eight years old. [CHUCKLES] And you helped me, didn't you, Johnny? Yes, sir. I helped. You held those little red shoes tight to your chest. It was all for you, Johnny. I did it for you. I know that, sir. I know. Whose blood runs stronger in your veins, son? Mine? Or poor little Martha's? Yours. I belong to you, sir. How you gonna prove that, Johnny? Look at me, son. Who's gonna carry on for me after I pass away? I will. Keep the home fires burning. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. All by your lonesome. I can do it. No time like the present, is there? By myself? All by your lonesome. Kill Rachel? Got to kill her. All by his lonesome. All by his lonesome. All by his lonesome. All by his lonesome. [LAUGHS] [BREATHING HEAVILY] My father. John, you, you think it, too? I have to do something for my father. I know. I know. It'll be all right. I have to. He said... Forgive me. Oh, my poor... You must forgive him. But it's not your fault. Listen. You are not to blame. Then you're not mad at me? Oh, you poor child. [KISSES] Mama. My mama. Mama. It's okay, it's okay. [DIALING] [RINGING] Have a nice walk? I tried. Not hard enough. She, she kept... Wrapping you around her little finger? Yeah. Yeah, it was her. It was her fault. Well, she kept looking at you with woman's eyes, huh? Uh-huh. And holding onto me. Rocked you in her arms, did she? Yeah. She, she tricked me. I think you liked it. No. Yup. You was easy on her. No. Then why don't I smell her blood on you? I don't know. Why don't I smell her tears? I don't know. What I smell is failure. Yup. I raised myself a son who doesn't have the guts to kill himself one, one, itty-bitty woman, all by himself. [LAUGHING] Yes, sir. I got me a weakling. I'm as good as you! Maybe better. Is that a fact? Yeah. One's nothing! One's not good enough. Anybody can kill just one! You got an idea, son? Where you going? Come on, you can tell me. No need to be shy. [WHISTLING] It's time. [LAUGHING] I got a better idea. Not just Rachel. What you talking about? Killing? [KISSES] For Martha. God bless her. For Mama. I'm gonna kill 'em all. There's a door in this picture. The eagle's the same. It was right here. [LOCK CLICKS] [CREAKING] Oh, my... [GASPING] [SCREAMING] [SCREAMS] Mom! [PANTING] What are you doing? Me? What's down here? Do not go downstairs, Lisa! STEVIE: What's wrong? Shh. Now listen to me. Listen. Oh, God, the line's dead. Oh, are you sure? He must have cut the wires. Lisa, quick, go upstairs, make sure all the windows are locked. You help me out here. Hurry! Hurry! This is the greatest gift you'll ever give your mother. All right, they're all locked. Good, good, honey, listen, we, we got to put something in front of this. This, this is how Malcolm has been getting into the house. We can use this. Great. Okay. Too light. We need something else. Something heavy. I'm done, Mom. Oh, good, honey. Good. We got to find something... [DOOR RATTLING] [KNOCKING] CHUCK: Rachel? Oh, Chuck! Honey! Come in. What the hell's going on? What? Malcolm is the murderer. What? We've got to get help, Dad. She won't tell us what's in the cellar. What cellar? That one. Honey, honey, it's all right. Come on, get in the car. Get in the car. [RUSTLING] [SIGHS] John, thank God. [SCREAMING] LISA: Dad! Hurry! He's coming! [SCREAMING] [GRUNTING] The basement. There's a doorway here, Chuck. If they got in this way, there's gotta be a way out. Come on, babe. Go. Go. Go. [JOHN GRUNTING] Where are we going? Just follow me, sweetheart. Well... Oh, my God. My God. How gross. Dad! There's a door here. Chuck, I can't. Move. All right, all right. Come on, kids. Come on. Honey. Come on. Come on. [INDISTINCT] LISA: Dad! [SCREAMING] [SCREAMING] Chuck! Are we gonna die? Let's go, let's go. Go! Go! Go! [GROANING] Chuck, hurry. [GRUNTING] John, Johnny, come here quickly! [COUGHING] Wait, wait, wait. [GROANING] John, John, come here. There's a fire! Martha's down there. Okay, come on, come on, let's go. No! Stevie! [MALCOLM CRYING] Dad, look. STEVIE: This way! Come on! Let's go! Come on, Dad. [CRYING] It's too late to save her, Dad Come on. Dad, come on! [GROANING] Where? I don't know. I don't know. Just keep moving. Lisa. LISA: Dad. RACHEL: It's okay, Lisa. CHUCK: Go, go, go. [LISA SOBBING] Come on. Want every damn one of 'em. Killing my Martha. Cold-blooded murder. They'll pay. They'll pay dearly. You take the trail. I'm going down by the lake. STEVIE: Easy, Dad. Ah! Go on! Go on! Go! Okay, go for it, kids. You okay? Yeah. Come, Chuck. Stevie, to the left. Yeah, Mom. [SCREAMS] [GASPS] Chuck! Honey. Your, your leg. Go on. Go on without me. Oh, no, no, no. No. Look, I can't make it, go on. The answer is no. Dad, I've got an idea. Come on! Stevie! Stevie, wait! Come on, honey. Try, baby. [BREATHING HEAVILY] [GROANING] Chuck. Stevie. You never listen to me. I'm trying to tell you something. This is a trap here. See? Henry and I built it. We've got spears, too. You see the trick is to get a decoy right over there. See and the enemy comes for the decoy and wham, he falls right in. Stevie. He's a real brain, isn't he, Dad? Yeah. [SCREAMING] Boy, the trap really did work. You mean you weren't sure? All right, Stevie. I want you to reset the trap, and I want you guys to meet me at the lake. STEVIE: Okay. RACHEL: Chuck. CHUCK: Stay with the kids. RACHEL: Okay, honey. All right. Let's... It's not over yet. I thought I might find you down here. Waiting for Martha, are you? Well, she'll be late tonight. [LAUGHS] Is this your place? Out here in the woods. Is this where you made all your plans? [GRUNTS] [GROANS] "Pack light, dearest. "Just throw a few things in your tapestry bag. "We wouldn't want to make Malcolm suspicious " [IN A FEMININE VOICE] "But what about my boy?" "We'll come back for him when everything's settled." [IN A FEMININE VOICE] "Oh, I'm so happy now. "I'll wear my red satin shoes, and the dress you like, "and I'll never come back here. "Ever." You stole my wife. She didn't belong to you. You broke up my happy home, and now you're going to have to pay the toll! No! [SCREAMS] [GASPS] My God. [GROANS] Oh, Chuck. Oh, Chuck. [CRYING] We did it. Oh. You bet, kiddo. [SCREAMS] [GASPING] [GUNSHOTS] Hold it, John! [CRYING] No! If I could freeze this moment. Mmm. So peaceful. Funny, how beautiful it is again. Rache? Hmm? You're quite a woman. [SIGHS] Maybe we'll find a place this nice up north or... Mmm, it's too cold. Hmm, maybe some nice quiet little beach town. RACHEL: Sure. We'll find something. RACHEL: Hmm. It won't have this view, though. We're not moving, are we? We can't move. This place is the best. I mean, it never gets boring. Sure. A murder a minute. Let's discuss this rationally, Mom. You don't, um, want your only daughter becoming a dope addict. We have to look over all our options. Options? Options? Would you look at this place? Look at... Fresh air. No smog. No traffic. No crime. Thanks to us, it's crime-free now. Well, we haven't decided anything, yet. Right, Chuck? Right. Right. Ah, well, great. Now that it's safe we leave. Real sensible. It is a terrific view. Well, just face it, Mom. It's, it's absolutely perfect. Well, practically perfect. |
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