The Murder That Brought Us Together// Klance Castle Au

Act 4

ACT FOUR

[EXT. STREET - AFTERNOON]

It's late afternoon as Keith and Lance emerge from his parked car and approach a man in his 40s, wearing a maintenance uniform, hosing down the sidewalk. Keith badges him.

KEITH

Jared Swanstrom?

SWANSTROM

Yeah.

KEITH

NYPD. We'd like to ask you some questions about Cynthia Dern.

SWANSTROM

I'm not sure what I can tell you. I hadn't seen her in twenty years.

LANCE

But you knew she was writing a book, right? You spoke to Lee Wax.

SWANSTROM

Yeah, I spoke with her. I-- I told her to give Cynthia my regards.

KEITH

So, you weren't bearing any old grudges?

SWANSTROM

Against Cynthia? What for?

LANCE

For turning you in. It was Cynthia one who called the cops the night you were arrested.

SWANSTROM

Well, if that's true, she was just trying to save herself. Right after the bombing, Cynthia wanted to run, try to make it to Canada, but I, uh, I fell apart.

LANCE

Why?

SWANSTROM

Guilt. I'm the one who built the bomb. I'm the one who messed it up.

KEITH

"Messed it up" how?

SWANSTROM

The girls were supposed to have three minutes to get off that ship before it went off. Three minutes. But when Cynthia got back in the car that night, she said that something had gone wrong; that the bomb had... had blown early. I'm the reason that Susan Mailer is dead.

--

[INT. LANCE'S LOFT - NIGHT]

Lance, with Rosa and Veronica. Lance is reading Lee Wax's manuscript.

ROSA

At least one of them took responsibility for what happened that night.

LANCE

Yeah. Maybe even a little too much responsibility.

VERONICA

You don't believe Jared Swanstrom's story?

LANCE

That's the thing. It's not his story, it's Cynthia's.

ROSA

You want to break it down for those of us who've already had a glass of wine?

LANCE (re: the manuscript)

Cynthia told Lee Wax that she and Susan Mailer had an argument as to whether or not to set off the bomb, once they knew the captain was on board. Cynthia backed out. Susan went on to set off the bomb by herself. And... "Boom."

ROSA

Huh.

VERONICA

But today, Jared Swanstrom said that Cynthia told him there was something wrong with the timer. She never said anything about an argument.