The Murder That Brought Us Together// Klance Castle Au

Act 3

ACT THREE

[INT. PRECINCT - DAY]

Keith shows Allura the FBI wanted poster.

ALLURA

That's Allison Goldman?

KEITH

AKA Cynthia Dern. In 1989, she and two friends set off a bomb on a tanker owned by a big oil company.

ALLURA

I remember this. Some radical environmentalist protesting the Exxon Valdez spill.

KEITH

Yes. One was killed, one was caught, but Cynthia Dern was never found.

ALLURA

It looks like her past finally caught up with her.

--

[INT. PRECINCT, INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY]

Lance and Keith are sitting across the table from Lee Wax.

LEE

Jared Swanstrom built the bomb. Susan Mailer and Cynthia snuck on board to set it. Only something went wrong. You see, the ship was supposed to be empty of oil and people, but the captain, Sam Pike, had come back. He was paralyzed in the explosion.

KEITH

How did you track down Cynthia?

LEE

I didn't. She contacted me.

LEE

Cynthia had decided to turn herself in, but before she surrendered, she wanted to get her story out to the public and express her remorse.

LANCE

And get public opinion on her side.

LEE

It's a great way to influence a potential jury pool.

KEITH

But she did it, right? So, how was she planning on "influencing" them?

LEE

Cynthia told me that on the night of the bombing, she tried to back out. When she realized that the captain was aboard, she argued with Susan Mailer to call it off. But Susan refused. Susan went to set the bomb herself and, ironically, died in the explosion. She was vaporized.

KEITH

So why would she come out of hiding now?

LEE

Money. She needed the cash.

LANCE

You were paying her?

LEE

Couple hundred a week. If the book had sold well... I don't have to tell you how much money was at stake.

KEITH

When was the last time you saw Cynthia?

LEE

Tuesday afternoon.

KEITH

Did she mention that she was going to see anyone else? Maybe someone from her past?

LEE

No, no. Cynthia was really paranoid about being discovered before the book came out. She didn't want me to get in touch with anyone from her old life.

LANCE