EXT. COTTON FIELD SHACK. DUSK.
As credits roll, two six-year-old black girls play in the
packed dirt front yard of a board and batten shotgun house on
the edge of a cotton field.
A woman on the porch calls to the girls. She wipes sweat from
the face of the smallest girl, Dee Johnson.
MOTHER
Dee, you get on home now. Your
mother’s gon’ be looking for you.
DEE
Yes, ma’am.
Dee hurries to a well-worn dirt and grass path between the
asphalt road and the bayou that parallels it.
EXT. PATH BESIDE ROAD. DARK.
Dee walks on the path, humming a hymn from church. It’s dark
now and the black water, cypress-studded bayou on Dee’s right
looks sinister.
Dee hears the distant sound of an automobile engine, turns
and glances at headlights far behind her.
Moments later in a bend in the road, Dee hears the engine
roar much louder. She turns. The car’s headlights blind her.
She holds her hand up against the light. Metal crunches and
the car slams into Dee and crashes into the bayou.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
2 -
Tension in the DA's Office
INT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S PRIVATE OFFICE. MORNING.
Yaloquena District Attorney Willie Mitchell Banks, 53, sits
behind his desk studying a file. His receptionist, Louise, an
attractive black woman with short hair appears.
LOUISE
Little Al is here with Mary
Margaret. He wants to see you.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Damn.
LOUISE
He smells like a brewery. What
should I tell him?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Nothing. Bring them in.
Little Al Anderson struggles to force his wheelchair through
the door. His long hair is greasy, his face ruddy. There’s a
dark blue windbreaker across his lap.
Mary Margaret Anderson, mid-thirties, follows Little Al, her
hand resting lightly on his chair. She is pretty, wears a
khaki skirt and white blouse, little makeup or jewelry.
Willie Mitchell stands.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Mary Margaret, good to see you.
Little Al, how are you this
morning?
LITTLE AL
Not worth a shit, if you really
want to know. Almost impossible to
get up here in my chair because of
all the violations of federal
disability laws.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I know it. I’ve talked to the
supervisors. It’s an old building,
and they don’t have the money...
LITTLE AL
That don’t matter. Law’s clear what
they got to do.
WILLIE MITCHELL
It’s a tough situation.
LITTLE AL
I ought to sue the Goddamned
supervisors. And you, too.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Well, I’m not the proper party
defendant. I could get out on a
motion to dismiss.
Little Al snarls.
LITTLE AL
You think you’re so fuckin’ smart.
Mary Margaret pats Little Al’s arm.
MARY MARGARET
Now, Al, let’s not get...
He jerks his arm away from her.
LITTLE AL
I told you to carry your ass if you
don’t have the stomach for this.
MARY MARGARET
I’ll wait out front.
Little Al mutters as he watches her leave.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What did you want to see me about?
LITTLE AL
That boy working for you, the
Assistant D.A., sued me on some
bull shit case.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Walton Donaldson?
LITTLE AL
Yeah. He claims to represent some
old bitty who ran into one of my
cultivators, bent it all up.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’m sure you have plenty of
insurance.
Little Al grabs his windbreaker and shakes it at the D.A.
LITTLE AL
That ain’t the point. You could
make him dismiss it.
For the first time, Willie Mitchell notices the black grip of
an automatic pistol above Little Al’s belt buckle.
Willie Mitchell moves his hand to open his top drawer
revealing a 1911 Springfield forty-five automatic. The D.A.
rests his hand on his pistol.
WILLIE MITCHELL
If you came up here to get me to
interfere with Walton’s civil case
against you, I’ll tell you right
now--I’m not going to do that.
LITTLE AL
You’re making a big mistake.
WILLIE MITCHELL
It won’t be the first. You want me
to talk to Big Al about this?
Little Al trembles and raises his voice, shaking his
windbreaker at the D.A.
LITTLE AL
Leave him out of this. I run the
farm. He runs the grocery store.
Little Al returns his windbreaker to his lap, concealing the
pistol. He leans back and folds his hands against his chest.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’m sorry about all the rain you’ve
had. It’s a damned shame.
Little Al seems spent.
LITTLE AL
Yeah. This ain’t over.
Little Al strains and pushes his chair out of the door.
Willie Mitchell takes a deep breath and closes his drawer.
Genres:
["Drama","Crime"]
Ratings
Scene
3 -
Rainy Reflections
INT. FORD SPORT TRAC PICKUP TRUCK. SUNDAY MORNING.
Unshaven Willie Mitchell slumps in the passenger seat
drinking a beer. Through windshield wipers slinging water he
studies the steady rain. He looks out his window at the soggy
gray cotton fibers hanging uselessly from rotting bolls.
Water fills the furrows between the rows.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Supposed to rain all day.
He looks over at the black driver, twenty-seven-year-old
Walton Donaldson.
WALTON
Rain all week, I heard.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Poor sons of bitching farmers.
WALTON
I don’t guess any of it can be
saved now.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Nope. Jimmy Gray says our bank’s
customers had the best cotton crop
in years around here. All ruined.
WALTON
I saw him in y’all’s bank
yesterday. I think he’s getting
fatter.
WILLIE MITCHELL
He says he’s just big-boned. (beat)
Jimmy Gray’s the smartest man in
this little town.
WALTON
Uncle Lee said you were.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I used to be.
Willie Mitchell drains his beer and fills a twenty-ounce
Styrofoam cup with ice from a small cooler. He pours it half
full of Zing Zang mix, then tops it off with Smirnoff vodka.
He removes a tiny Tabasco bottle from his shirt pocket and
shakes the hot sauce into the cup. He pokes and stirs the
drink with his finger, licks it clean, and takes a big sip.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Ahhhh. You know this is the third
year in a row the farmers lost
their crop. Flood two years ago,
drought last year, now this.
WALTON
Be good for your duck camp.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Ain’t been out there in years. Hunt
it all you want this season.
WALTON
I ain’t mad at no ducks.
Walton looks at Willie Mitchell’s drink.
WALTON
Switching to vodka early today.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Yessiree, Bob. Sunday’s my big day.
Pot of coffee at five-thirty, a
leisurely sit-down with the Jackson
paper, my favorite driver picks me
up to look at crops, a beer or two,
then segue to the jet fuel while I
still got a caffeine buzz going.
WALTON
Fine life you got, Willie Mitchell.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
4 -
Rainy Reflections
EXT. MUDDY FARM ROAD. MORNING.
Ahead of Walton’s truck there’s a red full-sized Dodge van
with a disabled tag and a chair lift on the side door.
INT. FORD SPORT TRAC PICKUP TRUCK. MORNING.
Through the rainy windshield they see the van. Walton slows
down to pass on the narrow lane.
WALTON
That’s Little Al’s van. What’s he
doing?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Same as us. Looking at his crops.
WALTON
You want me to stop?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Hell, no.
Walton eases his truck around the van. Willie Mitchell waves
politely at Little Al, who is yelling at his passenger, an
older black man.
Little Al recognizes Willie Mitchell and flips him the bird.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Crazy as a road lizard.
WALTON
Who’s that he’s yelling at?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Marzell Owens, one of his hands.
WALTON
Why would Mary Margaret stay with
him? She seems nice. Easy on the
eyes, too.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You never know what’s cooking in
someone else’s pot.
WALTON
This rain got Little Al worried
about losing his place?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Nah. The Andersons finance their
farming operations out of the cash
flow from the grocery store, which
is big. They don’t borrow money.
WALTON
Must be nice.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did you know Big Al was on the
Sovereignty Commission?
WALTON
You told me. Hard to believe he’d
have done something like that.
WILLIE MITCHELL
It’s more than fifty years ago. I
wouldn’t think anyone cared about
that any more.
WALTON
The more I read about it, the more
I do. What were they thinking?
WILLIE MITCHELL
FBI’s got a thick file on Big Al.
Supposed to make it public soon.
Hope he dies first.
Walton pulls out onto a state highway. The rain continues.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Little Al came to see me about your
suing him on that wreck.
WALTON
What did you tell him?
WILLIE MITCHELL
I told him that was your business.
Had nothing to do with your work at
the D.A.’s office.
WALTON
He get pissed?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Yeah. But he’s always pissed since
he’s been in that wheelchair.
WALTON
He called me at my office to bitch
me out about the suit. Called you a
crooked fuckin’ s.o.b.
WILLIE MITCHELL
That the best he could come up
with?
WALTON
He sounded drunk.
WILLIE MITCHELL
If he was awake he was drunk.
(Beat) Don’t you hate a fuckin’
drunk?
WALTON
Some I don’t.
Walton smiles and raises his Diet Coke bottle to Willie
Mitchell, who taps his Styrofoam cup against it.
Walton’s cell phone rings.
WALTON
Hello?
He listens for a moment.
WALTON
Okay, Sheriff. I’ll tell him. We’ll
check with you first thing in the
morning.
Walton ends the call.
WALTON
Uncle Lee says they arrested
Takisha Berry at the Dollar Store
last night.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Stealing what this time?
WALTON
Baby clothes. He says he’s keeping
her in the women’s cell and wants
us to ask for a high bond. Said
he’s had it with her.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I wish she hadn’t turned eighteen.
He raises his voice.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Miss Ta-ki-sha Berry. One woman
crime wave.
WALTON
I’ve had her in juvenile court a
dozen times. She’s got three kids
now, one two months old. Who’ll
take care of them?
WILLIE MITCHELL
You know what the lady said. It
takes a village.
WALTON
You ready to get home?
Willie Mitchell nods and tops off his drink with Smirnoff as
they drive through a small community with boarded buildings
and faded signs. He stares at a brick structure with one wall
collapsed, little black kids playing with broken bricks in
the shadow of the ruined hulk.
EXT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S PORCH. AFTERNOON.
Willie Mitchell sits in a big wooden rocker on the porch of
his two-story Victorian home, still sipping from his
Styrofoam cup.
Water stands in his front yard and the circular pea gravel
drive by the front steps. It’s a dreary, dismal afternoon.
Willie Mitchell stands up, slightly unsteady. He slings the
reddish ice and water from the cup into the puddles, and
drags himself inside.
EXT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S PORCH. DAWN.
Willie Mitchell stands on his porch in the dim morning light.
He adjusts his running watch and turns on his iPod. He walks
down the steps and pauses on the pea gravel. He’s hung over.
As he takes off slowly on his run, he mutters.
WILLIE MITCHELL
This is going to hurt.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
5 -
The Case of Takisha
INT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S RECEPTION AREA. MORNING.
Wearing a dark business suit, Walton places a stack of files
on Louise’s desk.
WALTON
Has the Sheriff called?
Louise points over Walton’s shoulder. Sheriff Lee Jones, a
powerfully built black man in his mid-forties walks in
wearing a white Stetson and navy blue patrol uniform.
WALTON
Morning, Sheriff.
SHERIFF
You talk to Willie Mitchell?
WALTON
Waiting on you.
They walk through a door past Ethel, a white-haired older
white woman at a secretary’s desk.
INT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE. MORNING.
Walton and Sheriff Jones nod to Ethel.
ETHEL
Go on in. He’s expecting you.
INT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S PRIVATE OFFICE. MORNING.
Walton and Sheriff Jones stand before Willie Mitchell seated
at his desk.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What did you charge Takisha with?
SHERIFF
Felony theft. She had a bunch of
baby clothes stuffed under her
shirt.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What’s wrong with her? She’s got to
know the stores watch her.
SHERIFF
I don’t know. She’s all sulled up,
as usual.
(MORE)
SHERIFF (CONT’D)
AFDC people tell me they’re
building a fraud case against her.
WALTON
I heard that, too. From my cases
against her in juvenile court I
know she’s not stupid.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Who’s pushing this? The Dollar
Store?
SHERIFF
Naw. Ray doesn’t really care. I’m
the one who wants her prosecuted.
WILLIE MITCHELL
It’s not going to do much good.
SHERIFF
I know she’s poor, uneducated, got
three kids. I’ve heard all that
crap I can stand. We’ve got to
start holding people accountable.
Teach responsibility.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I agree in principal, Lee, but our
jail upstairs only holds one
female, and the county can’t afford
to jail folks for minor offenses.
SHERIFF
I know the big picture looks pretty
rough, but let’s just deal with
Takisha. Make an example of her for
others. We have to start somewhere.
Willie Mitchell looks at Walton.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What do you think?
WALTON
What we’re doing now isn’t working.
I see the same people over and
over. Stealing’s never had much of
a downside for Takisha.
WILLIE MITCHELL
All right. When’s the bail hearing?
WALTON
Two this afternoon.
SHERIFF
I talked to Judge Williams. She’s
on board.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Okay, men. Let’s see where this
goes.
Genres:
["Drama","Crime"]
Ratings
Scene
6 -
Courtroom Confrontation
INT. COURTROOM. AFTERNOON.
Walton walks into court, pushes through the swinging rail
gate and places his file on the prosecution table.
Takisha Berry slumps at the defense table, half-asleep. She’s
wearing a jail-issued orange jump suit. Eleanor Bernstein,
mid-thirties, black public defender in a dark suit, sits next
to Takisha.
There’s no one else in the courtroom.
The side door opens and Judge Zelda Williams, a black judge
in her mid-fifties with salt-and-pepper hair, walks in behind
her bailiff.
Eleanor nudges Takisha. They stand together and watch Eddie
Bordelon, a small, bald, white man wearing rimless glasses
walk behind the judge and sit at the court clerk’s table.
Judge Williams nods to Eleanor and Walton.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Good afternoon.
ELEANOR
Your Honor, my client...
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Hold on, Miss Bernstein. Let’s make
the record first, shall we? Mr.
Donaldson, you’re here for the
State?
WALTON
Yes, your honor.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Eleanor Bernstein for the
defendant?
ELEANOR
My client is Takisha Berry, present
in court with me.
Eddie Bordelon gives the Judge the case file. She studies it
a moment.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
The only issue today is bail?
WALTON
Correct, your honor.
ELEANOR
Which this court normally sets in
chambers according to a schedule.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
The State requested a hearing.
ELEANOR
This is short notice.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
You want a continuance?
ELEANOR
No, Judge Williams. I just want to
know what’s going on here.
WALTON
Your honor, the State requests a
substantial bond for Miss Berry in
light of her history.
ELEANOR
Which is not in evidence.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
I am very familiar with your
client, Miss Bernstein.
ELEANOR
Your honor, my client is indigent
and any cash bond is prohibitive. I
ask for her release on
recognizance. My client is going
nowhere.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Truer words, Miss Bernstein. Bond
hereby set at $10,000.
ELEANOR
$10,000. You might as well make it
a million.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Be careful what you ask for.
ELEANOR
Your honor, I’m entitled to know
why my client is being singled out
like this.
WALTON
In light of the amount allegedly
taken, the defendants criminal
history...
ELEANOR
When she was a juvenile. All that
is relevant today is will she
appear for subsequent hearings.
WALTON
That’s why we’re asking for the
higher bond in this case.
ELEANOR
I object to this...
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Take it up with the appellate
court, Miss Bernstein.
ELEANOR
I’ve got hearings every day this
week, your honor. I don’t have time
to appeal a bail denial. This is
unfair to my client.
Judge Williams taps her gavel.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Court is adjourned.
The side door closes behind the Judge. Eleanor grabs Walton’s
arm as he starts to leave.
ELEANOR
Did you woodshed the Judge on this?
WALTON
No.
ELEANOR
Did Willie Mitchell?
WALTON
No.
ELEANOR
So, why the high bail?
Walton shrugs. Eleanor talks to him as he walks away.
ELEANOR
Something’s going on here and I’m
going to find out what.
Genres:
["Legal Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
7 -
A Rainy Night Encounter
EXT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S PORCH. NIGHT.
Willie Mitchell sits in darkness in the big wooden rocker on
his porch. Water drips from trees and eaves from an earlier
rain. Everything is wet.
He hears pea gravel crunching and sees a shadowy figure in
the driveway approaching the house.
A woman in a jogging outfit stops at the base of the steps.
It’s too dark to make out her face.
WOMAN
Anyone home?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Depends on what you mean by anyone.
The woman walks slowly up the steps to stand close to Willie
Mitchell. She bends over, places a hand on each of his knees,
and spreads his legs. She moves in closer, kissing Willie
Mitchell, her hair enveloping his cheeks and neck.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Glad it finally stopped raining.
WOMAN
Yes. But still, I’m...very wet. I
hope you don’t mind.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Some things can’t be helped.
Still in dark silhouette, she kneels and unbuckles his belt,
struggles with his zipper.
WOMAN
I could use some help here.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Glad to oblige.
Her voice is husky, ravenous, as she goes down.
WOMAN
Ah. It’s good to see you.
Willie Mitchell groans.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Good being seen.
EXT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S PORCH. NIGHT.
The woman sits on Willie Mitchell’s lap in the darkness. He
whispers.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Let’s go upstairs.
WOMAN
I want to shower first. I worked up
a little sweat jogging over.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Your sweat is delicious, just like
the rest of you.
They walk inside.
Genres:
["Drama","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
8 -
A Night of Intimacy
INT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S HOUSE. NIGHT.
Willie Mitchell leads her to the stairway in the central
hall. It’s dark in the house.
WOMAN
I want to use the shower outside.
And I want you to watch.
She takes his hand and leads him through the dark dining room
and kitchen, the only light the green and blue displays on
the appliances. They walk out the kitchen door to the open
outdoor shower.
Willie Mitchell leans against a column and watches her remove
her shoes and jogging outfit. It’s dark, but he sees she has
on nothing underneath.
WOMAN
Get the water warm for me?
Willie Mitchell turns on the shower and tests it.
She glides under the water, moves her hands over her breasts,
through her hair, and over her body.
Willie Mitchell watches. After a moment, he goes inside and
comes back with two towels.
He turns off the water and pulls her to him. They kiss and he
wraps her in a towel. She twists the other towel around her
hair and they walk inside.
INT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S BEDROOM. NIGHT.
Upstairs under his massive tester, he makes love to her,
their movements barely illuminated by the glow of the muted
Weather Channel report showing another moisture-laden system
erupting out of the Gulf of Mexico and moving inexorably
through Louisiana to Mississippi.
Genres:
["Drama","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
9 -
A Community Concern
EXT. SUNSHINE STREET. MORNING.
Willie Mitchell slows his Ford truck as he sees an arm
extended from a black BMW sedan flagging him down.
Willie Mitchell pulls over and walks back to the BMW. He
shakes hands with Mayor Everett Johnson, a six-four, 275
pound black man with graying hair and a big smile. A large
city water tower looms behind them as they meet, SUNSHINE
printed in large white letters.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What do you say, Mister Mayor?
What’s up?
MAYOR
This Takisha Berry thing, Willie
Mitchell. Gettin’ lots of calls.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Judge Williams set her a bond.
MAYOR
But it’s way too high. Her people
don’t have any money. Those
children need her home.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I know, Everett, but she’s got a
bad record.
MAYOR
I hear she’s bad about stealing,
bless her heart.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You talk to the Sheriff?
MAYOR
Lee behind this?
WILLIE MITCHELL
You might want to talk to him.
MAYOR
All right, Mr. D.A. I’ll do that.
The mayor drives off in his BMW.
Genres:
["Drama","Crime"]
Ratings
Scene
10 -
Tensions in the DA's Office
INT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S PRIVATE OFFICE. MORNING.
The Mayor and Reverend Bobby Sanders, a slender, young black
man in a dark suit and white Roman collar like a Catholic
priest, shake hands with the D.A. and sit down.
WILLIE MITCHELL
How are you, Reverend Sanders?
REV. SANDERS
Quite well, Mr. Banks.
MAYOR
Like I said this morning, Willie
Mitchell, I been gettin’ lots of
calls on this child Takisha Berry.
WILLIE MITCHELL
One of the problems is she’s no
longer a juvenile. She’s now an
adult in the eyes of the law.
REV. SANDERS
She’s still God’s child.
WILLIE MITCHELL
No doubt about that.
REV. SANDERS
I understand the items in question
were recovered.
WILLIE MITCHELL
That’s right.
MAYOR
Can’t we just give the clothes
back, maybe put her on probation?
Sheriff Lee Jones walks in.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Sheriff, we just started talking
about Takisha Berry’s case.
MAYOR
Like I was telling the D.A., Lee,
we looking for a way to resolve it.
There’s a lot of interest.
SHERIFF
That’s good, Mayor. Maybe people
will understand when they break the
law there is punishment.
MAYOR
You’re right about that. I
appreciate the job you’re doing.
REV. SANDERS
What about God’s laws?
SHERIFF
Isn’t the eighth commandment “Thou
shalt not steal?”
REV. SANDERS
Jesus says we must forgive. The
child needs forgiveness, not caging
like some animal.
WILLIE MITCHELL
She’s had lots of forgiveness,
Reverend Sanders. Takisha’s had her
sentence suspended six times in
juvenile court and gone right back
to stealing.
REV. SANDERS
To provide for her babies.
SHERIFF
What if she stole from your
collection plate?
REV. SANDERS
We would give it to her gladly.
SHERIFF
That sounds so nice, Bobby. Let’s
just cut the crap. I knew you when
you were in the clubs every night
chasing women, high on something,
before you got religion. In fact, I
remember a scuffle with a knife.
MAYOR
Now, let’s stay calm. We all just
trying to work this out.
SHERIFF
This ain’t about Takisha. It’s
Bobby wanting to be a big,
important man in Sunshine.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I think the Sheriff is saying we
have to draw the line at...
SHERIFF
I’ll say it plainer than that. You
ought to be preaching self-reliance
and responsibility. You do more
harm than good, Bobby.
REV. SANDERS
Then why is it only the black man
or woman is prosecuted in this
town? Why is the jail full of our
people.
SHERIFF
Demographics. Use your head. This
county’s 75% black. There’s only
one woman upstairs--Takisha. I
arrest white people when they break
the law.
REV. SANDERS
There’s a double standard.
Takisha’s been in jail for two
nights now. Two more than Little Al
Anderson spent for killing a child.
WILLIE MITCHELL
That was a different case.
REV. SANDERS
Little Al run over little six-year-
old Dee Johnson like a mangy dog
with his big fancy car into that
filthy bayou. They ain’t no justice
for Dee in this courthouse.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Little Al was paralyzed in that
wreck.
(MORE)
WILLIE MITCHELL (CONT’D)
Dee’s mother Sonya and her attorney
worked out a civil settlement for
damages and as part of the deal
asked that Little Al receive
probation. I did what Sonya and her
lawyer asked me to do.
MAYOR
That was a long time ago, Bobby.
REV. SANDERS
Three years is all. And we had the
same D.A. we got now. Mr. Banks
been here a long time, maybe too
long. Little Al got off scot free
for murder and Takisha in jail for
stealing baby clothes.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Judge Williams set a bond.
REV. SANDERS
My people are poor. I think you
will regret taking this position,
Mr. Banks. This isn’t over.
SHERIFF
The Judge set the bond at my
request, Bobby. You understand?
REV. SANDERS
I understand it’s the D.A. who is
in charge of criminal cases.
WILLIE MITCHELL
That’s correct.
REV. SANDERS
All my people are voters, Mr.
Banks. I will make sure they know
what you’re doing to Takisha.
MAYOR
Don’t blow this out of proportion.
REV. SANDERS
It’s already out of proportion to
what Takisha did.
SHERIFF
You are so full of shit, Bobby.
REV. SANDERS
My people buy lots of goods in this
town, put money in white people’s
pockets.
Everyone stands.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’ll be glad to discuss this
further, Reverend Sanders.
MAYOR
That’s what we need.
REV. SANDERS
Just let her out of jail.
SHERIFF
Just come up with the money. You’re
real big on fund raisers. Barbecue
some chicken. I’ll buy a plate.
Reverend Sanders walks out, followed by the Mayor.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I thought that went well.
SHERIFF
You want me to ask the Judge to
lower the bail?
WILLIE MITCHELL
What do you want to do?
SHERIFF
I don’t want to give an inch to
that little hypocrite. I don’t want
to put you in a bind, but if it’s
up to me, I say let’s let the shit
hit the fan.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Then we better get ready. A big wad
of it’s heading our way.
Genres:
["Drama","Legal"]
Ratings
Scene
11 -
Homecoming Reflections
EXT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S DRIVEWAY. LATE AFTERNOON.
Willie Mitchell stops his truck in the circular drive at his
front steps and walks inside.
INT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S HOUSE. LATE AFTERNOON.
He walks through the front rooms of the big house. It’s full
of English antiques. He passes pictures of his family in
earlier, happy days and pauses to study one showing his
beautiful wife, Susan, a tall, elegant blonde, and his two
sons Jake and Scott when they were in junior high.
Willie Mitchell walks into the kitchen where an old black
woman, Ina, wipes off the kitchen table.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You about ready, Ina?
INA
Been ready. Them boys coming home
any time soon?
WILLIE MITCHELL
They’re both busy at school.
INA
I cleaned their rooms anyway. Left
you some tuna salad in the fridge.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
12 -
Confrontation at the Crossroads
EXT. FOUR LANE HIGHWAY THROUGH SUNSHINE. LATE AFTERNOON.
Willie Mitchell drives Ina home in his truck. They stop at a
red light. In the distance there are a dozen people standing
at the highway entrance to the shopping center housing the
Jitney Mart, the local grocery store.
The signs read: JUSTICE FOR TAKISHA; D.A. HELPS RICH WHITE
PEOPLE; and BOYCOTT JITNEY MART TIL TAKISHA FREE.
They stop at the red light in front of the protesters. Willie
Mitchell studies a black woman and black man, both in their
late twenties, standing together. The two stare at him. The
woman holds a sign but it’s turned so it can’t be read.
WILLIE MITCHELL
That’s Sonya Johnson, isn’t it?
INA
Yeah. Dee’s mama. Poor thing.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Who’s the man next to her?
INA
That’s Marzell’s boy, McKinley.
As the light changes, Sonya turns her sign so Willie Mitchell
can see. It’s a photograph of six-year-old Dee Johnson, the
young girl killed by Little Al Anderson three years earlier.
Genres:
["Drama","Crime"]
Ratings
Scene
13 -
Desperation in the Interrogation Room
INT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE IN COURTHOUSE. MORNING.
Sheriff Jones walks down a narrow hallway and peers inside a
reinforced glass window in a door, then walks in.
INT. SHERIFF’S OFFICE INTERROGATION ROOM. MORNING.
Takisha Berry sits at a table holding an infant. Two toddlers
pull on her legs vying for her attention.
Across the table sits Takisha’s mother, Mayrene, an exhausted-
looking black woman in her mid-thirties who looks twenty
years older.
A baby-faced white deputy, Will Gresham, is in the corner.
SHERIFF
Everything all right in here?
GRESHAM
Yes, sir.
TAKISHA
Maybe for him.
SHERIFF
You doing okay, Mayrene?
TAKISHA
She upset ‘cause I’m in jail.
SHERIFF
You tell her why you’re here?
TAKISHA
I told her the D.A. keeping me
under a high bond.
SHERIFF
It’s not the D.A.
TAKISHA
That’s what Reverend Sanders say.
SHERIFF
I’m the one asked for a high bond.
TAKISHA
We cain’t make no bond. We ain’t
never seen a thousand dollars. Mama
cain’t take care of my kids by
herself. She got my little sister
to tend do.
Mayrene rocks back and forth in her chair. Takisha swats one
of the toddlers and both youngsters start crying. So does the
infant Takisha holds.
TAKISHA
You got to let me out. I promise I
won’t steal anything else.
SHERIFF
That’s what you said the last time.
TAKISHA
Reverend Sanders say you using me
as an example. That ain’t fair.
MAYRENE
We need help, Sheriff Lee.
Sheriff Jones starts to leave.
TAKISHA
That night jailer, the one called
Big Boy, he messed with me. Up here
and down there, too.
She gestures to her breasts and vagina. The Sheriff turns to
the deputy in the corner.
SHERIFF
You know anything about this?
GRESHAM
First I’ve heard.
SHERIFF
This visit is over. Take her back
upstairs. Call Carter at home and
tell him to get his fat ass here.
Gresham tries to get Takisha up, but her toddlers start
screaming. Sheriff Jones opens the doors and yells.
SHERIFF
Helen. Get in here!
A black woman deputy hustles in, takes Takisha’s infant and
tries to corral the toddlers as Gresham leads Takisha out.
Tears stream from Mayrene’s closed eyes as she rocks.
MAYRENE
Help us, sweet Jesus. You got to
help us, Lord.
Genres:
["Drama","Crime"]
Ratings
Scene
14 -
Tensions in the District Attorney's Office
INT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S PRIVATE OFFICE. MORNING.
Sheriff Jones leans on the wall next to the D.A.’s desk.
SHERIFF
One of my patrol units stopped
Jimmy Gray last night weaving all
over the road. They didn’t arrest
him because they know about his
son, but you have to do something.
Willie Mitchell nods as the speaker phone comes to life.
FBI AGENT SHELBY
This is Special Agent Shelby.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Hey, Billy. I got you on speaker.
Lee Jones is in here with me.
FBI AGENT SHELBY
Howdy, Willie Mitchell. Sheriff.
SHERIFF
How’s things in Oxford?
FBI AGENT SHELBY
Paperwork mostly. What’s up.
WILLIE MITCHELL
This is an official call, Billy.
The federal courts made you special
master of our jail under the
consent decree keeping us open and
we’re under an obligation to report
anything that happens.
FBI AGENT SHELBY
Right.
SHERIFF
It’s a bull shit deal, Billy.
WILLIE MITCHELL
A female pre-trial detainee claims
molestation by the night jailer.
FBI AGENT SHELBY
Any witnesses?
SHERIFF
Just he-said, she-said. The girl’s
making it up to get out.
FBI AGENT SHELBY
Wouldn’t be the first time. I’ll
send someone to take statements.
They’ll call you to set up a time,
Willie Mitchell. Good talking.
Willie Mitchell punches a button to end the call.
SHERIFF
Maybe we ought to just let her out.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Don’t fold yet, Lee.
SHERIFF
You see the pickets on the highway?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Yep.
SHERIFF
Bobby’s got’em focused on you.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’m an easy target.
The D.A.’s phone buzzes. He listens a moment.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’ll be right over, Mr. Anderson.
He hangs up and looks up at Sheriff Jones.
SHERIFF
Big Al?
WILLIE MITCHELL
He wants to talk about the boycott.
Genres:
["Crime","Legal Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
15 -
Tensions at the Anderson Mansion
EXT. ANDERSON HOME. DAY.
Willie Mitchell parks in the driveway on the side of the
Anderson mansion in the middle of Sunshine, a stately
Italianate red brick structure with Greek Revival flourishes.
He knocks on the side door.
A tall, slightly stooped eighty-year-old with a heavy
southern drawl, Big Al Anderson, opens the door.
BIG AL
Come on in, Willie Mitchell.
Willie Mitchell follows Big Al into the house’s beautifully
furnished main receiving room. Willie Mitchell sits in a
Queen Anne winged-back chair.
BIG AL
I appreciate your coming here.
WILLIE MITCHELL
No problem. Glad to do it.
BIG AL
I thought about your Daddy the
other day. I never met a finer man.
His word was his bond.
WILLIE MITCHELL
He thought a lot of you, too.
BIG AL
How are your boys doing in Oxford?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Jake is in his last year of law
school. Scott is a sophomore and
rush chairman.
BIG AL
And Susan?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Haven’t talked to her in a while.
BIG AL
It’s a damned shame. I hope you two
work it out.
Willie Mitchell nods.
BIG AL
Now this boycott thing, I know you
got bigger fish to fry.
WILLIE MITCHELL
No, sir, it’s a concern for me,
too.
BIG AL
I appreciate the job you do. You’re
the best D.A. this county’s ever
had, maybe in the whole state, but
this boycott’s been going on for
days, and it’s starting to cut into
my sales pretty good. Anything we
can do about this girl in jail?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Shame they targeted you.
BIG AL
It makes no sense to me. Delta
Dollar’s the one had her arrested.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Sheriff Jones told me they think
you have the power to get her out.
BIG AL
Why doesn’t Delta Dollar drop the
charges?
WILLIE MITCHELL
It’s really not up to them any
more.
Big Al looks out a window. Something else is on his mind.
BIG AL
You know, Willie Mitchell, the
FBI’s got a big file on me. They
fixin’ to make it public.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I heard. Sovereignty Commission
stuff.
BIG AL
I was on it, you know. The governor
asked me to represent this area. I
never did much of anything. Neither
did the Commission--just kept some
files on a few folks. I’m sure the
Jackson paper will make me out to
be a Klansman.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I hope not.
BIG AL
Funny thing, I been Catholic all my
life. Everybody knows the white
trash in the Klan hates Catholics
bad as Jews.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Nobody around here will believe you
were in the Klan, Big Al.
BIG AL
The Commission didn’t have nothing
to do with the segregation
academies. Gave’em a little money’s
all. Your daddy helped raise money
for Sunshine Academy. (beat)
Federal government’s got no
business telling us how to run our
schools.
Willie Mitchell looks down at his hands.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Supreme Court in 1954 said they do.
BIG AL
The Commission looks so bad now,
but we all had good intentions.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Not everyone, Big Al.
Mary Margaret, Little Al’s wife walks in wearing a wide-
brimmed straw hat, a white blouse and khaki pants. She
clutches a pair of gardening gloves. Standing behind her
holding a bucket of shrubbery cuttings is McKinley Owens, a
black man in his mid-twenties.
Willie Mitchell stands. He smiles at Mary Margaret and nods
to the black man.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Morning, Mary Margaret.
MARY MARGARET
Keep your seat, Willie Mitchell. I
don’t want to interrupt.
BIG AL
We’re almost through, honey. Don’t
you get too hot out there.
MARY MARGARET
We’re just doing some light
trimming.
She turns to the black man.
MARY MARGARET
McKinley, why don’t you leave those
cuttings on the bricks near the
pool house for now?
McKinley turns to leave as a blood-curdling drunken scream
comes from another room.
LITTLE AL
Get your ass in here right now!
Everyone freezes. Big Al and Mary Margaret are embarrassed.
MARY MARGARET
I’ll go see what Little Al wants.
Mary Margaret hurries to Little Al’s room. McKinley glares
after her a moment, then walks outside.
BIG AL
Sorry, Willie Mitchell.
WILLIE MITCHELL
McKinley’s Marzell’s son?
BIG AL
Right. He used to work the fields
but mostly helps out around here
now, yard work and odds and ends.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I saw Little Al giving Marzell hell
out at a field last Sunday.
BIG AL
With all this rain Little Al’s been
worse than usual. This is the third
year we’re in danger of losing the
crop.
WILLIE MITCHELL
It’s tough on everyone.
BIG AL
But he won’t stop drinking. Starts
in early every day. Mary Margaret,
she’s a sweet girl. An angel.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Yes, sir.
BIG AL
He talks to me like a dog. Her,
too.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Maybe some treatment.
BIG AL
We been down than road. You know
the law. He can’t be committed
against his will.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You’re right about that.
BIG AL
Ever since he ran over that little
girl he ain’t never been the same.
You know, Willie Mitchell, he
always claimed someone ran him off
the road into her. But his blood
alcohol was twice the legal limit.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You look into that?
BIG AL
Mary Margaret did. You know she’s
pretty sharp. She didn’t come up
with anything. She told me the
evidence showed Al just lost
control. Wasn’t no other car.
Willie Mitchell stands to leave.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I better be going.
BIG AL
Thanks again for coming. Whatever
you can do to stop all this
boycotting sure would help me.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Yes, sir.(beat) And Big Al? I
wouldn’t talk to the press.
Willie Mitchell opens the door to leave as Little Al bellows
something unintelligible.
Genres:
["Drama","Southern Gothic"]
Ratings
Scene
16 -
Rainy Reflections at the Country Club
EXT. SUNSHINE COUNTRY CLUB BAR. AFTERNOON.
Jimmy Gray,53, 312 pounds, and Willie Mitchell sit at a
table, both wet from the rain that interrupted their golf
game. Jimmy tries to stand but his thighs and rear are wedged
in the barrel-backed wooden chair, which rises with him.
JIMMY GRAY
They making these chairs smaller.
He frees himself and walks toward the bathroom. The older
black bartender, Earl, wipes the table.
EARL
He’s drinking way too much these
days, Willie Mitchell. Out here by
himself lots of nights. Can barely
walk when he leaves.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I know it. I’m going to talk to
him.
EARL
I know it’s bad his boy got killed
in that hunting accident.
WILLIE MITCHELL
It’s been tough.
EARL
You drinking more than usual, too.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Yeah.
EARL
You hear from Susan?
Willie Mitchell shakes his head.
EARL
This Takisha Berry thing’s a mess.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Yep.
EARL
Bobby Sanders is stirring the pot.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What do you think about him?
EARL
He’s a preacher, ain’t he? He’s out
for himself.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
17 -
Disruption at the Rotary Lunch
INT. BEST WESTERN DINING ROOM. NOON.
Willie Mitchell follows Assistant D.A. Walton into the buffet
line at the weekly Rotary lunch meeting. Willie Mitchell
knows everyone there. He shakes hands and laughs. Eighty per
cent of the club is white. Black businessmen and women, and
black elected officials are sprinkled throughout.
Willie Mitchell and Walton sit down at a long table and begin
to eat their fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Rotary
president Frank Blanton, a white CPA-type in his late sixties
calls the meeting to order.
BLANTON
Ladies and gentlemen, please
continue eating while we take up
the agenda. Reverend Roland, will
you bless our food?
An older black preacher Leon Roland stands at his place.
PREACHER ROLAND
Heavenly Father, we thank you...
There’s a loud commotion in the back of the room. Little Al
has rammed the door with his wheel chair causing it to slam
against the wall. He tries to maneuver his wheel chair
through the narrow door but gets stuck and yells loudly.
LITTLE AL
Goddammit!
The entire room turns to watch Little Al finally get his
chair through the door. He wheels himself to a place at a
table in the back. A young waitress approaches him.
BLANTON
Leon, please continue.
PREACHER ROLAND
...for this food to the nourishment
of our body. Amen.
Disgusted, the preacher stares at Little Al as he sits down.
BLANTON
We’ll ask Jeanine Truro to give us
last week’s attendance.
Jeanine Truro, an overweight, forty-ish black woman stands.
JEANINE TRURO
Mr. President, our attendance last
week was fifty-six, which is
seventy per cent of membership...
Little Al roars from the back of the room.
LITTLE AL
Are you deaf? I said unsweetened
tea.
His words are slurred. The waitress cowers, backing away.
BLANTON
Little Al, you might want to...
LITTLE AL
Aw, shit, Frank. Service here’s
always been crappy.
Younger members snicker. Little Al smiles at them.
BLANTON
All right. Let’s move on. I have a
few guest cards here. Joe? Would
you introduce your guest.
JOE
My guest is G.T. Evans who runs our
Itawamba branch office.
G.T.Evans stands and receives a round of polite applause.
BLANTON
Walton?
WALTON
Yes, sir, Mr. President. My guest
today is my boss, District Attorney
Willie Mitchell Banks.
Willie Mitchell half-stands and waves to applause.
BLANTON
And one more guest, I think...
Little Al taps his spoon hard against his tea glass.
LITTLE AL
Frank, I don’t have a guest to
introduce, but I have something I’d
like to share with the club...
BLANTON
Hold on, Little Al. Let us finish
our guest introductions...
LITTLE AL
...because I think everyone would
be interested to know that Walton’s
guest, the Honorable District
Attorney Willie Mitchell Banks, has
been screwing my genteel little
wife, Mary Margaret, every time he
gets the chance, mostly at his home
where he lives by himself now that
his wife left his sorry ass...
A collective gasp sucks the air out of the room followed by
intense murmurs and President Blanton banging his gavel.
Blanton motions with his gavel to members at Little Al’s
table, who hustle him out of the dining room, pushing his
wheel chair as fast as they can.
BLANTON
Sorry, Willie Mitchell. Let’s move
on to...
Willie Mitchell stares at his food.
INT. WALTON’S TRUCK. DAY.
The rain picks up as they drive out of the Best Western
parking lot.
WALTON
That’s going to be all over town by
the time we get back to the
courthouse. Nothing to it, is it?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Nah. Look at this rain.
WALTON
He’s one crazy bastard.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
18 -
A Reluctant Meeting
INT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S BEDROOM. NIGHT.
Willie Mitchell puts down the book he’s trying to read and
picks up the vodka and tonic from the bedside table. He sips
it and points the remote to his television.
WEATHER CHANNEL
There’s more rain headed for the
Deep South...
The phone on the bedside table rings. Willie Mitchell mutes
the television, takes a sip of his drink, answers and listens
for a while.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I don’t think it’s a good idea.
He listens.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You are?
He gets out of bed and looks out the window. There’s a black
Lexus sedan in the gravel drive at his front steps.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Okay. But just for a minute.
He hangs up, picks up his drink and walks downstairs.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
19 -
A Night of Desperation and Desire
EXT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S PORCH. NIGHT.
He pushes open the screen door in his boxers and tee shirt.
Mary Margaret is already on the porch, soaking wet. They
stand there in the darkness a moment. She moves close.
MARY MARGARET
I had to see you. When he got home
from Rotary he grabbed at me but I
got away. I’ve been driving out in
the country, afraid to go home.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did he hurt you?
MARY MARGARET
He would have if he caught me.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did you know he had a pistol that
day when y’all came to see me?
MARY MARGARET
I didn’t see it, but he carries it
with him all the time now. Did he
threaten you with it?
WILLIE MITCHELL
No. He kept it stuck in his pants.
How long has he known?
MARY MARGARET
I don’t know. All I know is I love
you and want to be with you.
She shivers. He pulls her closer to warm her.
MARY MARGARET
I’m scared. Let’s go inside.
He opens the door and they walk into the house. The kitchen
light is on, but the parlor and dining room are dark. They
sit on the Victorian sofa.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I think we need to stop seeing each
other for a while.
MARY MARGARET
I can’t do that.
She starts to cry. He smooths her wet hair.
MARY MARGARET
I’ve always done the right thing
and look what it’s gotten me.
Married to a monster. No kids. I
want to make a new life--with you.
She kisses him. He pulls back.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You’re a married woman. What we’re
doing is wrong even if he is a no-
count bastard.
MARY MARGARET
I stopped loving him long before I
fell in love with you.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You should file for divorce.
MARY MARGARET
I don’t care about any of his
money. I just want to get away from
him. If I don’t get out soon he’s
going to kill me.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Do you have a place to stay?
MARY MARGARET
Big Al will help me. He knows how
bad it is.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Do you know any divorce lawyers?
MARY MARGARET
Buddy Morgan in Oxford. When I
worked up there he was the best.
I’ll call him tomorrow.
WILLIE MITCHELL
As soon as you file, we can see
each other again.
MARY MARGARET
But I want to be with you now. I
want to spend the rest of my life
with you.
She buries her face in Willie Mitchell’s chest and sobs.
WILLIE MITCHELL
It’ll be all right. Everything will
work out. Don’t tell anyone about
Little Al bringing his gun into my
office. We have enough drama.
MARY MARGARET
I promise I won’t. Do you love me?
WILLIE MITCHELL
I love you.
MARY MARGARET
You file for your divorce, too.
Susan’s not coming back.
She kisses him hard and cries. He pulls back and wipes her
tears away. He kisses her, deeply and passionately. She moves
her hand down his chest and inside the front flap of his
boxers, caressing him.
WILLIE MITCHELL
We shouldn’t.
MARY MARGARET
Let’s go upstairs.
Willie Mitchell picks her up and walks up the wide, wooden
stairway, Mary Margaret in his arms. She whispers.
MARY MARGARET
I love you so much.
Genres:
["Drama","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
20 -
Confrontation in the DA's Office
INT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S PRIVATE OFFICE. MORNING.
Reverend Bobby Sanders sits across the desk from the D.A.
REV. SANDERS
Thank you for seeing me without an
appointment.
WILLIE MITCHELL
No problem. Would you like some
coffee?
REV. SANDERS
No, thank you. I’m here to ask you
again to let Takisha out before my
people get more upset.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Why would they?
REV. SANDERS
Considering what has happened to
her up in that jail.
WILLIE MITCHELL
We don’t know if anything happened.
Big Boy says he didn’t touch her.
Isn’t he in your choir?
REV. SANDERS
He is. So is Takisha. I can’t
imagine a young lady making up
something like that.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’ve been in hundreds of trials and
seen many a witness swear to tell
the truth then lie like a dog.
REV. SANDERS
I don’t think Takisha is lying.
WILLIE MITCHELL
But you think Big Boy is?
REV. SANDERS
It’s in his interest to deny it.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Takisha has an incentive to lie
about Big Boy to get out of jail.
REV. SANDERS
You should know that Mr. Carter’s
molestation of Takisha is not the
only thing we’re going to raise.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Is there something else new?
REV. SANDERS
The new revelations that have just
come out. We believe you have a
conflict of interest.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What revelations would that be?
REV. SANDERS
Your personal involvement with the
family that owns the shopping
center where Delta Dollar is. In
particular, with Mrs. Anderson.
Willie Mitchell bristles.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I think it’s time for you to mosey
on out of here, Bobby.
REV. SANDERS
You won’t reconsider?
WILLIE MITCHELL
I certainly won’t now.
REV. SANDERS
We plan on asking Judge Williams to
remove you from the case.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You do what the Good Lord leads you
to do, Reverend Sanders. I’m asking
you again to leave my office.
Reverend Sanders walks out. Willie Mitchell mutters “asshole”
under his breath.
Genres:
["Drama","Legal"]
Ratings
Scene
21 -
Courtroom Confrontation
INT. COURTROOM. AFTERNOON.
Walton hustles into the courtroom adjusting his tie. Judge
Williams is on the bench. Takisha Berry sits at the defense
table in her orange jump suit.
Eleanor Bernstein whispers to Reverend Sanders over the
courtroom railing, then takes her seat next to Takisha.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Thank you for being here on such
short notice, Mr. Donaldson.
WALTON
I got here as soon as I could, your
honor. I haven’t been served with
anything.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Miss Bernstein assures me this is
of the utmost urgency.
WALTON
Does this relate to bail?
ELEANOR
Yes, your honor. There’s new
information I would ask this Court
to consider.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Mr. Donaldson, do you waive notice
and announce ready to proceed?
WALTON
I guess so, your honor.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Proceed, Miss Bernstein.
ELEANOR
Will the District Attorney be here?
WALTON
I am representing the State.
ELEANOR
At this time, your honor, I am
filing a motion to recuse the
district attorney’s office from
further proceedings in this case.
Eleanor drops a copy of her motion on the table in front of
Walton on her way to give the original to the Judge.
ELEANOR
And a supplemental motion for bail
reconsideration based on the
discovery of these new facts.
WALTON
Recusal on what grounds?
ELEANOR
It’s in the motion.
WALTON
Since I just received this motion,
I’d ask Miss Bernstein to state her
reasons in open court.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
I think that’s reasonable. Miss
Bernstein, state your case.
ELEANOR
The district attorney has an
intimate relationship with a person
closely connected to the facts of
this case.
WALTON
Your honor?
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Hold on, Mr. Donaldson. Let me read
the motion.
Judge Williams and Walton read the motion for the first time.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
This is mighty deep water you’re
wading into Miss Bernstein.
ELEANOR
My understanding is that it’s
common knowledge in the community,
both black and white.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Common knowledge is not evidence,
young lady. Neither is hearsay and
innuendo. You better have evidence
to prove your allegations.
ELEANOR
I do, your honor.
WALTON
I plan to ask for sanctions when I
prevail. These are scurrilous,
false accusations, and are not
relevant to this case.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
File your answers and counter-
motions, Mr. Donaldson. Hearing’s
set for one week from today.
Judge Williams taps her gavel and leaves.
WALTON
This is bull shit, Eleanor.
ELEANOR
We’ll see. Tell your boss I’ve sent
copies to the Justice Department
and to the state attorney general.
Walton grabs his files and walks past Takisha, who sits
grinning at the defense table.
Genres:
["Legal Drama","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
22 -
Fractured Trust
INT. WALTON’S TRUCK. DAY.
Walton drives on the four lane with Willie Mitchell.
WALTON
Where are we going?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Drive by the Jitney Mart. I want to
see who’s there.
Walton stops at the red light. A dozen protesters are there.
Most hold signs about the D.A. or Takisha.
McKinley Owens stands next to Sonya Johnson, who holds the
sign with the photograph of her dead daughter Dee Johnson.
McKinley’s sign reads “WHITE KILLERS GO FREE.”
WALTON
How much money’d Dee’s mother get?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Her lawyer Jerome King hinted to me
it was a few hundred thousand.
WALTON
I told Judge Williams there was
nothing to what they’re saying
about you and Mary Margaret.
Willie Mitchell shrugs. Walton is incredulous.
WALTON
Aw, shit, Willie Mitchell. You
should have told me before I made a
fool of myself in court.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Yeah, well, we better get back to
the office. You got your work cut
out for you on those motions.
Genres:
["Drama","Legal"]
Ratings
Scene
23 -
Reflections on the Past
EXT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S DRIVEWAY. LATE AFTERNOON.
Willie Mitchell gets out of the rocking chair on his porch
when Big Al pulls into the circular gravel drive.
Big Al lets his engine idle and lowers his window. Willie
Mitchell walks down the steps and shakes Big Al’s hand
through the window.
WILLIE MITCHELL
How are you, Big Al?
BIG AL
All right for an old man. I just
wanted to say I’m sorry about what
happened at Rotary.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Yes, sir.
BIG AL
Don’t take this the wrong way, but
sweet Mary Margaret has been
through hell with that boy. She
sure has. She deserves a little
happiness. That’s all I wanted to
say to you.
Willie Mitchell nods.
BIG AL
And I was thinking about your Daddy
again this morning. He was a fine
man and a good friend. How long’s
it been since he died?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Ten years.
Big Al seems to drift, lost in thought. He rolls up the
window and drives off.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
24 -
Secrets and Warnings
EXT. OUTSIDE WALTON’S LAW OFFICE. DAY.
Walton is leaving his office when Mary Margaret’s black Lexus
sedan stops in front. She gets out and hands a large envelope
to Walton. She looks beautiful; dressed nicely.
MARY MARGARET
These are the insurance papers
covering that tractor and
cultivator your client collided
with. Little Al’s lawyer asked me
to bring them to you.
WALTON
Thank you.
MARY MARGARET
And I wanted to apologize about
Rotary. He wasn’t like that when we
married.
WALTON
I don’t know how you’ve stayed with
him this long.
MARY MARGARET
I’m filing for divorce.
WALTON
Good for you.
MARY MARGARET
I know our relationship sounds
sordid, secret liaisons, but I do
love Willie Mitchell. And he loves
me. I’ve been lonely a long time,
and since Susan’s been gone...
Walton nods. He’s uncomfortable talking about it.
MARY MARGARET
There’s something you need to know.
Willie Mitchell won’t tell you.
When Little Al and I saw Willie
Mitchell in his office about your
lawsuit, he had a gun with him.
WALTON
A gun? Did he pull it?
MARY MARGARET
Not while I was in there. I’m
afraid Little Al might try to hurt
Willie Mitchell.
WALTON
I’m glad you told me.
Genres:
["Drama","Legal","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
25 -
A Fragile Care
INT. LITTLE AL’S HOME. LATE AFTERNOON.
Mary Margaret places Little Al’s dinner on the dining room
table. She fills a sturdy drink glass with Beefeater’s gin
and places it near his plate.
Little Al tries to wheel himself to the table but is so drunk
and worn out he can’t make it. She pushes his chair to the
dinner table, making sure he can reach his gin.
Mary Margaret sits down, out of his reach. His eyes full of
drunken rage, he takes a pathetic swing at her, missing.
He takes a big gulp of gin, tries to eat but cannot. His head
drops to his chest.
She waits a moment, then wheels him through the house into
his bedroom.
INT. LITTLE AL’S BEDROOM. LATE AFTERNOON.
Mary Margaret manages to get him in bed. She turns his
television on ESPN, places the remote and his glass of
Beefeater’s on his night stand.
She looks at the time on his clock radio, then at her watch,
and turns his clock radio so he can see it.
She starts to unbutton his shirt but he wakes with a start
and pushes her away.
LITTLE AL
Goddammit!
He reaches for his gin and drinks it down. Mary Margaret
takes his glass and gives him the remote. He points it at the
television but his head drops to his chest again.
Mary Margaret looks at her watch, puts the remote on the
table, tucks him in and leaves the room.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
26 -
Tension in the DA's Office
INT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S PRIVATE OFFICE. MORNING.
Walton comes in and places a stack of files on Willie
Mitchell’s desk.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What do you have today?
WALTON
Nickel and dime misdemeanors.
Walton pushes the files aside.
WALTON
Bobby Sanders has a big rally
planned tonight.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I heard.
WALTON
Starts at Jitney Mart parking lot,
then they’re marching down Grover
Street to the courthouse where
there’s supposed to be a protest.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Sounds like a good night to stay
home.
WALTON
I’m going.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Just be careful. Hang back.
WALTON
Mary Margaret told me Little Al
came in here with a pistol.
WILLIE MITCHELL
She told you that?
WALTON
She was worried about you.
The phone buzzes. Willie Mitchell picks up. He listens for a
moment and looks up at Walton.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I got to take this. Watch yourself
tonight. Pull that door to.
Walton leaves. Willie Mitchell kicks back and rests his feet
on the corner of his desk.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Hey, Billy. How’s it going?
He listens for a moment.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Naw, man, you’re just doing your
job. I knew there wasn’t enough
evidence to charge Big Boy just on
Takisha’s word.
He listens.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’m sorry, what?
Willie Mitchell nods and listens intently. He sits up
straight, grabs a legal pad and starts writing.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Tomorrow’s edition?
He listens.
WILLIE MITCHELL
No. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll
call you if I need anything.
He hangs up and walks around the desk, takes a deep breath
and stares out his window.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Man-oh-man.
Genres:
["Legal Drama","Political Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
27 -
Rallying Cry for Justice
EXT. JITNEY MART PARKING LOT. NIGHT.
Walton sits in his truck a fifty yards from the crowd of over
a hundred black people of all ages.
Reverend Sanders climbs into the bed of a pickup truck in
front of the crowd and gets their attention.
McKinley Owens with his sign “WHITE KILLERS GO FREE,” stands
next to Sonya Johnson holding her picture of Dee.
REV. SANDERS
Let me have your attention.
He waits a moment for the crowd to be quiet.
REV. SANDERS
Thank you all for coming out
tonight to support Takisha.
The crowd claps and cheers, there are a few “amens.”
REV. SANDERS
Right now, five blocks from here,
our young sister in Christ is being
held against her will in the county
jail on the top floor of the
courthouse.
Some in the crowd boo.
REV. SANDERS
And what is her crime? Poverty.
People clap. More “amens.”
REV. SANDERS
Our white district attorney is
holding Takisha in that filthy cage
like an animal, keeping her away
from her three babies, even though
under our constitution she is
innocent until proven guilty!
The crowd reacts loudly, clapping and screaming.
MAN
You tell‘em, Preacher Sanders.
McKinley Owens walks briskly, exhorting the crowd, holding
his sign for everyone to see. He signals to two other black
men, who nod in return.
INT. WALTON’S TRUCK. NIGHT.
Walton punches a number on his cell’s speed dial. While he
waits, he reaches down and checks his pistol in his ankle
holster inside his boot.
WALTON
Hey, Sheriff. Bobby’s getting his
people really worked up.
Out his windshield, Walton sees the crowd beginning to follow
Reverend Sanders out of the parking lot.
WALTON
They’re starting to march, Lee.
Heading your way.
Walton ends the call and cranks his truck. He places another
call.
Genres:
["Drama","Social Justice"]
Ratings
Scene
28 -
Tensions and Temptations
EXT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S PORCH. NIGHT.
Willie Mitchell and Mary Margaret sit in rockers in the
darkness on his porch. He answers his phone.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did you tell Lee all this?
He listens.
WILLIE MITCHELL
That’s all you can do. Just keep
your distance and stay in your
truck. Talk to you tomorrow.
He ends the call and puts the phone in his shirt pocket.
MARY MARGARET
What did he say?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Bobby Sanders has the crowd all
jacked up. Racial stuff.
MARY MARGARET
You think there’ll be trouble?
WILLIE MITCHELL
No. Bobby Sanders is smart. He’s
got everything going his way now.
He got a permit for this march to
the courthouse. Lee talked to him,
too. Warned him.
She fans herself.
MARY MARGARET
It’s hot. Let’s go inside.
She rattles the ice in her empty glass.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Ready for another?
They walk inside.
INT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S HOUSE. NIGHT.
Mary Margaret stops inside and gives Willie Mitchell her
glass.
MARY MARGARET
Would you bring our drinks
upstairs? I’m going to go on up.
I’ve got something to show you.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Sounds interesting.
MARY MARGARET
It will be.
INT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S KITCHEN. NIGHT.
He makes two vodka tonics and squeezes a lime in each. He
picks up the glasses, then puts them back down. He removes
his phone from his shirt pocket and rests it on top of
bananas in the fruit bowl on the kitchen table.
INT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S BEDROOM. NIGHT.
Willie Mitchell walks in, a drink in each hand. The room is
dark except for the light from the street light coming
through the open curtains on the floor to ceiling window.
Mary Margaret stands in the window naked, a slight breeze
billowing the curtain sheers around her.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Drinks, Miss?
MARY MARGARET
Just put them on the table, young
man.
He joins her in the window. She pulls him close.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Anything else, ma’am?
She whispers in his ear.
WILLIE MITCHELL
At your service.
Genres:
["Drama","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
29 -
March for Justice
EXT. WALTON’S TRUCK. NIGHT.
Walton leaves the parking lot to get ahead of the marchers.
He motors down the street that parallels the marchers’ route,
turns on a side street and parks on the corner near the
Anderson mansion, thirty feet from the marchers.
Bobby Sanders leads the marchers past Walton. McKinley Owens
pumps his sign up and down, encouraging the crowd. The two
black men he signaled earlier march alongside him.
Walton backs the truck into the Anderson mansion driveway,
turns around and speeds off.
EXT. COURTHOUSE PARKING LOT. NIGHT.
Walton parks in the courthouse parking lot and joins Sheriff
Jones on the steps.
Sheriff Jones holds a shotgun across his chest. There are a
dozen deputies scattered around the courthouse lawn and
parking lot at strategic spots. Nine of the twelve deputies
are black; all twelve have shotguns.
Bobby leads his crowd into the designated protest area in the
parking lot, cordoned off with crime scene tape. The pickup
truck he’s using for a stage backs up to the crowd. He jumps
into the bed of the truck and pumps his fist in the air.
The crowd roars and claps for a moment. Bobby quiets them.
REV. SANDERS
Takisha is right up there.
He points to the top floor of the courthouse.
REV. SANDERS
Let’s make sure she hears us.
The crowd responds and he quiets them again. He points to
McKinley Owens.
REV. SANDERS
McKinley, hold up Dee’s picture for
everyone to see.
McKinley gets Sonya’s sign and holds it up for the crowd.
REV. SANDERS
Three years ago, there was a rich
white man who ran over and killed
little Dee Johnson in a drunken
stupor in his big fancy car.
Sonya breaks down in tears. McKinley is angry.
REV. SANDERS
That white man spent not one single
night in jail for killing that
beautiful black child.
The crowd jeers and boos.
REV. SANDERS
And now Takisha Berry has spent
many horrible nights in a cage for
trying to provide for her kids.
The crowd reacts.
REV. SANDERS
Now why did Little Al go free?
Some in the crowd murmur and shout angrily. The preacher cups
his ears.
REV. SANDERS
What’s that? Someone said it.
WOMAN
BECAUSE HE IS WHITE.
REV. SANDERS
That’s it. Now let’s say it
together so Takisha can hear.
He gestures and says it with the crowd.
CROWD
BECAUSE HE IS WHITE!
REV. SANDERS
Again!
CROWD
BECAUSE HE IS WHITE.
REV. SANDERS
And she is...
He cups his ears.
CROWD
BLACK!
REV. SANDERS
And he is rich.
CROWD
AND SHE IS POOR!
Bobby starts clapping and the crowd applauds.
REV. SANDERS
Now, all together. Free Takisha.
CROWD
FREE TAKISHA!
Bobby gestures for them to continue.
CROWD
FREE TAKISHA! FREE TAKISHA!
Reverend Sanders claps and quiets the crowd.
REV. SANDERS
All right. All right. Brothers and
sisters in Christ, Takisha and I
thank you for this outpouring of
support! Let’s walk in peace back
to the Jitney Mart. We will protest
again tomorrow and every day until
we get justice.
Bobby jumps down from the truck bed, shaking hands with his
followers. He holds his hand high and starts to sing.
REV. SANDERS
This way. Follow me. (beat) We
shall overcome...
The marchers join in the singing and begin the walk back to
the Jitney Mart.
EXT. COURTHOUSE STEPS. NIGHT.
Walton stands with Sheriff Jones watching the marchers walk
out of the parking lot.
SHERIFF
That wasn’t so bad.
WALTON
Reverend Sanders ought to watch
what he says.
SHERIFF
He’s just a loudmouth.
WALTON
I’m going to follow them. Should we
call Willie Mitchell?
SHERIFF
No need. Keep your distance.
WALTON
I will.
Walton trots to his truck, cranks it, and takes off.
Genres:
["Drama","Social Issues"]
Ratings
Scene
30 -
Chaos on Grover Street
EXT. ANDERSON HOME. GROVER STREET. NIGHT.
Walton stops his truck on the street next to the Anderson
mansion. He rolls his window down and sees Bobby Sanders
leading the marchers toward him, now a half a block away.
Walton hears the beginning of a chant. He can’t make out what
the marchers are saying.
He steps out of his truck so he can hear.
CROWD
White killer. White killer. White
killer.
Walton sees Reverend Sanders try to stop the chanting, but
McKinley Owens is inciting the crowd, pumping his sign. The
chant gets louder.
CROWD
White killer. White killer. White
killer.
McKinley Owens signals to the two black men, who begin
running with McKinley toward the front of the Anderson home.
Other marchers follow. Bobby tries to stop them, but scores
of black men and women run past him onto the Anderson’s yard.
Walton runs toward the front of the house to head them off.
McKinley disappears into the large hedges beside the house
and comes out with a case of quart beer bottles with cloth
wicks. He lights one and tells the other men to take a bottle
and light it.
Walton races to stop McKinley. Walton stops to reach down in
his boot for his pistol but McKinley knees him in his face.
Walton, out cold, lies on his back next to the front steps.
McKinley tosses the first fire bomb through a huge front
window of the Anderson home. The other two black men with him
throw theirs. Other crowd members toss the remaining burning
bottles through other windows.
The crowd gathers in the front yard. The house goes up in
flames.
McKinley exhorts the crowd.
MCKINLEY
White killer. White killer.
The crowd members’ chants fade as they realize what they have
done. One by one, they start to walk, then run away.
Bobby Sanders pushes his way through the crowd to Walton
lying near the front steps. He grabs Walton by his feet and
drags him away from the burning house.
In a few moments the crowd is gone, leaving Bobby Sanders
sitting on the ground next to the unconscious Walton. Bobby
shakes his head and stares at the flames.
INT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S BEDROOM. NIGHT.
Willie Mitchell and Mary Margaret are making love under the
tester, covers and pillows on the floor.
Empty drink glasses sit on the night stand next to the land
line phone, which is off it’s hook.
At the sound of sirens in the distance, Willie Mitchell stops
and raises his head.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Do you hear that?
MARY MARGARET
It’s probably a wreck or something.
Don’t stop, baby. It feels so good.
I’m almost there.
They resume their lovemaking. The sirens fade.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
31 -
After the Fire
EXT. ANDERSON HOME. MORNING.
Willie Mitchell stands in the driveway of what’s left of the
Anderson mansion. It’s raining. He wears a plastic poncho.
Rain pelts the brim of his Ole Miss baseball cap.
Firemen probe at the edges of the smoldering rubble. Two
thick brick walls still stand but the roof and second floor
have burned and fallen. The center of the home is a pile of
charred, smoking beams and boards.
Big Al stands in the front of the house holding Mary Margaret
in one arm and a big umbrella in the other.
Sheriff Jones joins Willie Mitchell.
SHERIFF
Fire Marshal’s on his way.
WILLIE MITCHELL
It’s an old house. Dry wood. Those
drapes were like wicks when they
caught.
SHERIFF
We’ve talked to a few people. There
were six or eight men throwing the
Molotov cocktails.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Walton said McKinley started it.
Had the gas-filled bottles already
made and ready under the hedge.
SHERIFF
Yep. We’re looking for him.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Big Al is sure Little Al was in
there?
SHERIFF
Yeah. And Mary Margaret said he was
drunk and passed out when she left,
just like he is every day. Big Al
was at the store. Apparently he
works ‘til nine every night.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Good thing.
SHERIFF
Big Al said McKinley and Little Al
didn’t get along. Bad blood. Said
it made McKinley mad the way Little
Al treated Mary Margaret.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I guess. Little Al treated McKinley
like dirt. Marzell, too. But, it’s
still murder.
SHERIFF
Pre-meditated. First degree I
guess.
Willie Mitchell nods.
FIREMAN
Over here.
The Sheriff walks to the edge of the house. The fireman
stands waist deep in charred wood.
FIREMAN
Bring the body bag.
Four firemen walk carefully through the rubble and help put
the body in a plastic body bag. They walk it out past the
Sheriff and Willie Mitchell and into the Coroner’s truck.
SHERIFF
That’s a smell I never forget.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Brisket.
SHERIFF
There’s not much left. Doesn’t look
human. You know his dentist?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Dr. Wayne Black.
SHERIFF
I’ll call him. You coming?
WILLIE MITCHELL
In a minute.
Willie Mitchell walks over and joins Big Al. Under the
umbrella, Mary Margaret cries against Big Al’s chest.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Sorry, Big Al. But I’m sure he
never woke up.
BIG AL
That would be a blessing. Don’t
worry about Mary Margaret. I’ll see
to her needs, get her a place.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’m going to clean up and go to the
courthouse.
BIG AL
We’ll be all right.
Genres:
["Drama","Crime"]
Ratings
Scene
32 -
Consequences of Recklessness
INT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S PRIVATE OFFICE. MORNING.
Willie Mitchell sits behind his desk in a shirt and tie. He
takes a sip of coffee.
Walton walks in and sits down. He’s muddy and disheveled.
There’s dried blood on his face.
WALTON
I just came from the coroner.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What did Dr. Black say about the
teeth?
WALTON
It’s Little Al. No question.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did you get one of the docs to look
at your nose?
WALTON
Two of them. Both said it wasn’t
broken. I’m going home to clean up.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Hold on. Tell me what you were
thinking trying to pull your gun on
that mob last night.
WALTON
I guess I was trying to stop them.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I want you to think hard about what
you did. McKinley Owens did you a
favor knocking you out.
WALTON
I doubt Little Al thinks that.
WILLIE MITCHELL
McKinley didn’t have a gun on him.
Were you going to shoot him?
WALTON
I don’t know.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I don’t want you ever pulling a gun
unless it’s to save yourself or
your family. You got that?
Walton hangs his head. The phone buzzes. Willie Mitchell
picks up and listens.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’ll take it.
He punches a button and hangs up the handset.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Lee. Walton’s in here. I’ve got you
on speaker.
SHERIFF
Takisha’s been bonded out.
WILLIE MITCHELL
By whom?
SHERIFF
Ray Keyser from the Dollar Store.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Hmm. Fire insurance. You locate
Marzell?
SHERIFF
He’s out at his sister’s house. You
know where that is?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Yep. On my way downstairs.
WALTON
You want me to come?
WILLIE MITCHELL
No. Go home and clean up. Then wait
here for the fire marshal. (beat)
And leave your guns at home.
Genres:
["Drama","Crime"]
Ratings
Scene
33 -
Investigating the Past
INT. SHERIFF’S TAHOE. MORNING.
It’s late morning and still drizzling. They’re driving on the
state highway between rain soaked cotton fields.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You talk to Bobby Sanders yet?
SHERIFF
Yes. He’s a good liar, but I
believe him when he says he knew
nothing about McKinley’s plan.
WILLIE MITCHELL
They say he dragged Walton away
from the fire.
SHERIFF
Yeah. And sat there with him until
we got there.
Willie Mitchell points to a dirt road.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Turn right up here.
Sheriff Jones slows down and turns onto a muddy dirt road
toward three frame houses on the bank of a small bayou.
SHERIFF
How did you know where she lives?
WILLIE MITCHELL
I campaigned out here long time
ago. She didn’t seem right back
then. Surprised she’s still alive.
They stop in front of the middle house. It has a corrugated
tin roof, and its army green paint is long faded. A bent
television antenna juts from the roof. The brick chimney
leans, pulling away from the house.
There’s a gigantic, ancient Chevrolet Caprice in front.
Genres:
["Drama","Crime"]
Ratings
Scene
34 -
Bayou Confrontation
EXT. HOUSE ON THE BAYOU. DAY.
Willie Mitchell and Lee get out of the truck. Lee glances at
the bayou behind the house. There’s an old school bus half
submerged in the black water.
WILLIE MITCHELL
That’s Marzell’s Caprice.
They stop at the rickety wooden steps. The porch is missing
several boards. The front door is cracked.
The Sheriff calls out.
SHERIFF
Marzell.
After a moment an Marzell Owens, a wizened, unsmiling older
black man walks out the door, closing it behind him. He walks
down the rickety steps and joins them on the ground.
WILLIE MITCHELL
How are you today, Marzell?
MARZELL
Not all that good. We best talk out
here. My sistuh ain’t well.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What are you doing out here?
MARZELL
I checks on my sistuh a couple of
times a week. She all by herself.
SHERIFF
You know we’re looking for
McKinley.
Marzell crosses his arms and leans against his Caprice. He
stares at the ground.
MARZELL
I ain’t done anything.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Do you know where McKinley is?
He shakes his head.
SHERIFF
He’s in a lot of trouble. You have
any idea where he might be?
Marzell stands mute.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Do you know why McKinley has gotten
all involved in this Takisha Berry
thing?
MARZELL
I ‘spect you ought to ask McKinley.
SHERIFF
We’re going to have to bring you
in.
Willie Mitchell gestures for Lee to lighten up.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I know you’re a good person and all
your family’s law abiding, Marzell.
It’s not like McKinley to get
involved in burning the Anderson
house like he did. Did you know
Little Al died in the fire?
MARZELL
Maybe McKinley was just trying to
help somebody. Ever think of that?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Who was he trying to help?
MARZELL
Ask Miss Mary Margaret why don’t
you.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What do you mean?
MARZELL
McKinley told me that Little Al was
going to kill Mary Margaret.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did Little Al talk to McKinley
about killing her?
MARZELL
I ain’t saying nothing else. Take
me in if you’ve a mind to.
WILLIE MITCHELL
We don’t have to do that. You
didn’t do anything wrong. But we
would like you to come to the
Sheriff’s office later on in your
own car and answer a few more
questions. Would you do that?
Marzell thinks for a moment and nods. The front door opens
and Marzell’s sister appears in a tattered, stained dress.
She appears disoriented. Her eyes grow wide when she sees the
Sheriff and Willie Mitchell. She starts chanting very slowly,
almost moaning.
SISTER
Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah...
Willie Mitchell and the Sheriff walk to the Tahoe.
SISTER
Pilgrim through this barren land.
They drive away. Marzell gently leads his sister back inside.
INT. SHERIFF’S TAHOE. MORNING.
Sheriff Jones turns off the state highway onto the four lane
on the way back to the courthouse.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Pull into the Double Quick for a
second, would you.
The Sheriff pulls in.
EXT. DOUBLE QUICK PARKING PAD. MORNING.
Willie Mitchell puts quarters into the paper machine in front
of the store. He gets a newspaper and sits back in the Tahoe.
INT. SHERIFF’S TAHOE. MORNING.
Willie Mitchell points to the headline: FBI RELEASES
SOVEREIGNTY COMMISSION FILES
WILLIE MITCHELL
Have you read this story?
Lee shakes his head.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You need to read it. Pay attention
to the part about the White
Citizens’ Council.
Lee is puzzled.
WILLIE MITCHELL
And you can keep it. I’ve already
got a copy.
Genres:
["Drama","Crime","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
35 -
From Courtroom to Altar
INT. COURTROOM. AFTERNOON.
Walton hurries into the courtroom struggling to put on his
coat. He pushes through the rail gate, stands at the
prosecution table and straightens his tie.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Thank you for coming, Mr.
Donaldson. Please approach the
bench with your client, Miss
Bernstein?
Eleanor walks between the tables and steps up on the riser in
front of the Judge. Takisha follows her. Takisha has on a
beige Sunday suit and makeup. Her hair is fixed.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Miss Bernstein, pursuant to our
discussions, do you wish to change
your client’s plea in this matter,
CR-387209?
ELEANOR
Yes, your honor, contingent on the
State’s motion.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Mr. Donaldson, the Court will
entertain your motion to amend the
charge from felony to misdemeanor
theft in this case.
WALTON
Your Honor, could I have a
conference with the Court...
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Approach the bench.
Walton stands in front of the Judge. She covers the
microphone on her desk with her hand.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
I’m putting an end to the Takisha
Berry saga. There’s been enough
collateral damage, including a riot
and an arson homicide. If you don’t
move to reduce the charges to a
misdemeanor I will dismiss the
charges on the defense’s motion.
WALTON
State moves to amend the charge in
CR-387209 to charge a misdemeanor
theft from Delta Dollar.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Let it be so amended.
ELEANOR
My client enters a plea of guilty
as charged to the amended bill.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Are you ready for sentencing?
ELEANOR
We are.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Miss Takisha Berry. Do you
understand what just happened?
TAKISHA
Yes, your honor. The charges were
reduced and I pleaded guilty.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
And you are guilty, are you not?
TAKISHA
Yes ma’am. I took them clothes.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
I hereby sentence you to six months
in the county jail, suspended, with
credit for the time you’ve spent
upstairs already. I’m placing you
on unsupervised probation and
ordering you to pay the store the
full value of the clothes. Do you
understand?
TAKISHA
I’ll pay it, Judge.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
If you don’t pay it, or if you
commit another offense, I will
revoke your probation and when you
are convicted on the new charges I
will send you to the state
penitentiary for women in Rankin
County. Do you understand.
TAKISHA
Yes, ma’am.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Mr. Donaldson you are dismissed.
Walton walks through the court rail in a daze. He stops when
Big Boy Carter walks in wearing a white tuxedo and carrying a
two month old infant, followed by Takisha’s mother Mayrene
wearing her Sunday best with two toddlers in tow.
Walton sits in the last row in the back of the courtroom as
Judge Williams descends from the bench and performs a wedding
ceremony between Big Boy and Takisha. Eleanor and Court Clerk
Eddie Bordelon are the witnesses.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
By the power vested in me I
pronounce you man and wife. You may
now kiss the bride. Good luck to
you both. Takisha, you behave.
Big Boy kisses Takisha. The wedding entourage leaves the
courtroom, walking past Walton and out the door. Judge
Williams stops to speak to Walton in the back of the
courtroom.
Genres:
["Legal Drama","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
36 -
Unexpected Revelations
INT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S PRIVATE OFFICE. AFTERNOON.
Walton walks in to Willie Mitchell’s office. Sheriff Jones is
leaning against the wall.
WALTON
You’re not going to believe what
just happened.
WILLIE MITCHELL
We saw Big Boy and Takisha walking
out of the courthouse in their
wedding outfits.
WALTON
You knew?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Zelda called me to tell me what she
was going to do. I told her to go
ahead. I couldn’t reach you.
WALTON
I’ll be damned.
WILLIE MITCHELL
It’s a good result. It’s what
should have happened in the first
place.
SHERIFF
Big Boy told me those kids are his.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
37 -
Tensions in the D.A.'s Office
INT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S PRIVATE OFFICE. LATE AFTERNOON.
Mayor Everett Johnson and Reverend Bobby Sanders sit across
the desk from the D.A. at six p.m. Everyone else is gone.
MAYOR
Thank you for seeing us so late,
Willie Mitchell.
WILLIE MITCHELL
It’s been a long day.
MAYOR
Reverend Sanders just wanted to
make sure you knew it was supposed
to be a peaceful march.
REV. SANDERS
I knew nothing about McKinley’s
plans. I regret it happened.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I believe you, Bobby. But I got
reports of the things you said to
that crowd. Hateful things designed
to get them angry.
REV. SANDERS
I was exercising my right to free
speech.
WILLIE MITCHELL
First amendment does not let you
yell “fire” in a crowded theater.
MAYOR
I’m sure Reverend Sanders is very
sorry for what happened.
Bobby Sanders glares at the Mayor.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Words have consequences, Bobby.
REV. SANDERS
So do actions, Mr. D.A., like
sleeping with another man’s wife.
The Mayor raises his big right paw and slaps Bobby Sanders on
the back of the head. Bobby lurches forward.
MAYOR
You shut your mouth, Bobby Sanders.
I’m trying to help you here, but
you can’t stand prosperity.
REV. SANDERS
I ain’t bowing and scraping to this
man like you do, Mayor. Don’t you
know what the D.A. thinks about our
people? It’s in the paper this
morning. The D.A.’s daddy was on
the White Citizens Council.
(MORE)
REV. SANDERS (CONT’D)
Old man Anderson was on the
Sovereignty Commission. They were
two peas in a pod--old timey
racists--that’s the kind of man
you’re taking up for.
The Mayor grabs Bobby by his skinny arm, yanks him to his
feet, then pushes him out of the door. Bobby falls down,
picks himself up and leaves.
The Mayor turns to Willie Mitchell, who seems unruffled.
MAYOR
I’m sorry about that, Willie
Mitchell. I read that article. It
was fifty years ago all that
happened. I knew your Daddy well.
He was a good man. Loaned me money
from his bank when I needed it and
didn’t take advantage of me. He
treated me fair and kept his word.
Those were different times.
Willie Mitchell walks around his desk and takes Everett’s big
hand in both of his.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I appreciate your saying that,
Mayor. But don’t say that to the
media. I don’t want it interfering
with your politics.
MAYOR
I’m not talking to the press about
this or anything else that’s
happened today.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Thank you, Everett. I appreciate
your friendship.
MAYOR
You know the biggest problem we got
today, Willie Mitchell? It’s
ignorance. Pure-dee ignorance.
Genres:
["Drama","Legal"]
Ratings
Scene
38 -
Defending Legacy
EXT. COURTHOUSE STEPS. DAY.
Several reporters hold microphones and ask Willie Mitchell
questions about his father.
REPORTER
Did you know your father was on the
White Citizens Council?
WILLIE MITCHELL
I was not aware until the FBI files
were released that my father Monroe
Banks was on the Council. As a
youngster I saw my father interact
with many black men and women. He
was always courteous and fair. I
never heard my father utter a
racial epithet or make derogatory
comments about black citizens. My
father was a good man and I trust
his participation on the Council
was motivated by his desire for
progress for all races. Thank you.
Willie Mitchell turns and walks into the courthouse.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
39 -
A Ride with Boundaries
INT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE. AFTERNOON.
Jimmy Gray walks in unannounced.
JIMMY GRAY
Hey, podnuh. Can I borrow your Klan
sheet for a ride tonight? Mine’s at
the cleaners.
Willie Mitchell shakes his head.
WILLIE MITCHELL
So, how are you doing?
JIMMY GRAY
Better. Only been drunk once this
week. Starting to get a little
exercise. Martha’s helping me.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Good. I want to keep you around.
JIMMY GRAY
Any word on McKinley?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Not yet.
JIMMY GRAY
He’ll turn up. McKinley’s spent his
whole life in this county. He’s not
going anywhere. (beat) You through?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Pretty much.
JIMMY GRAY
Let’s go for a ride.
Willie Mitchell looks at his lifelong friend.
JIMMY GRAY
One drink. I ain’t had one today.
WILLIE MITCHELL
All right. But just one.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
40 -
Aftermath and Advice
INT. JIMMY GRAY’S CADILLAC. LATE AFTERNOON.
Jimmy and Willie Mitchell drive slowly past the Anderson
mansion. Smoke still rises from the pile of burned wood
inside the two remaining brick walls.
JIMMY GRAY
Finest house in town. Damn shame.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You think they knew Little Al was
in there?
JIMMY GRAY
Hell, yes. Everybody knows he’s
passed out by 6:30 every evening.
McKinley worked there. He knew the
fire would kill the sorry bastard.
WILLIE MITCHELL
There wasn’t much left of him.
JIMMY GRAY
I need you to do something for me.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What?
JIMMY GRAY
Don’t get too serious about Mary
Margaret. Now that Little Al’s dead
she’s going to turn up the heat.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Don’t worry.
JIMMY GRAY
Just take it slow with her.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You know something about her?
JIMMY GRAY
No. Don’t know her people, either.
WILLIE MITCHELL
She’s had a tough life with Little
Al. He was a mean drunk. Big Al
says she’s a saint.
JIMMY GRAY
Just take your time.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Drop me off at the house. I want to
check on Big Al.
Jimmy Gray takes a sip of his drink.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You promised just one.
JIMMY GRAY
Well, shit, Willie Mitchell. At
least let me enjoy it.
Genres:
["Drama","Crime"]
Ratings
Scene
41 -
A Moment of Reconciliation
INT. JITNEY MART. NIGHT.
Willie Mitchell taps on the half-door leading up a few steps
to Big Al’s office, an elevated space in the center of the
store with glass walls enabling him to see the entire store.
BIG AL
Come on up, Willie Mitchell.
Willie Mitchell sits on a stool across from Big Al, who
swivels away from his cluttered desk.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Came by to see how you’re doing.
BIG AL
Appreciate it, Willie Mitchell.
WILLIE MITCHELL
How’s Mary Margaret?
BIG AL
I put her up in a room at the Best
Western. Number 27. She needs some
sleep.
(MORE)
BIG AL (CONT’D)
I told her she could move into my
sister’s house in a few days when
we get it ready.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Just drove by your house.
BIG AL
My daddy built that house.
Big Al’s eyes fill with tears. He sniffs and gets control.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Have you seen the paper?
BIG AL
The FBI files? (beat) You know,
Willie Mitchell, that girl got out
of jail this morning and within an
hour this store was full of people
re-stocking their kitchens. Made me
feel better.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’m glad.
BIG AL
I should have told you about your
Daddy. I meant to, tried a couple
of times, but just couldn’t get the
words out. I hated you had to learn
from the paper.
WILLIE MITCHELL
A friend of mine at the FBI gave me
a heads up before it made the news.
BIG AL
Good. I been feeling guilty not
telling you. I owed it to your
Daddy to let you know. He always
treated people fair, white or
colored.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I just wanted to check on you and
tell you I’m sorry about Al.
BIG AL
Maybe he’ll have some peace now.
Willie Mitchell stands and shakes hands with Big Al, whose
eyes are red and filled with tears.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
42 -
Late Night Comfort
EXT. SUNSHINE STREETS. NIGHT.
Willie Mitchell drives his truck to the Best Western. He
spots Mary Margaret’s Lexus and parks next to it. There are
only a few cars in the motel parking lot.
Willie Mitchell looks up at the rooms on the second floor.
He walks up the steps carrying a Jitney Mart paper bag and
knocks lightly on room 27’s door.
The door opens slightly. Mary Margaret peers out. She
unlatches the safety chain and lets him in.
INT. BEST WESTERN ROOM 27. NIGHT.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I brought you some bottled water
and Diet Cokes. And some Triscuits.
He puts the bag on the dresser.
MARY MARGARET
Thank you.
Mary Margaret is barefoot in a white terry cloth robe cinched
at the waist. Her hair is a mess, her eyes bloodshot.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Have you had any rest?
MARY MARGARET
I tried.
She buries her face in his chest, then pulls back to talk.
MARY MARGARET
I lay in bed and close my eyes
but...
She starts crying. He consoles her. He looks around the room.
The bathroom door is closed.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Let me get you some ice. Where’s
your ice bucket?
MARY MARGARET
It’s in the bathroom.
He starts that way but she stops him.
MARY MARGARET
It’s a mess in there. I’ll get it.
He waits while she opens the bathroom door slightly, gets the
ice bucket, closes the door and gives it to him.
EXT. BEST WESTERN SECOND FLOOR. NIGHT.
Willie Mitchell fills the bucket from the ice machine and
walks back to the room.
Genres:
["Drama","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
43 -
Night of Confessions
INT. BEST WESTERN ROOM 27. NIGHT.
He picks up a glass off the dresser and fills it with ice,
opens a bottled water from the Jitney Mart bag and pours it.
Mary Margaret takes a sip of the ice water.
MARY MARGARET
Better. Thank you.
WILLIE MITCHELL
The Sheriff has his entire force
out looking for McKinley.
MARY MARGARET
I hope they don’t hurt him.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Marzell told Lee and me that Little
Al had tried to get McKinley to
kill you. Is that true?
MARY MARGARET
I don’t know what Little Al told
McKinley. I told McKinley that
Little Al had threatened to kill
me. I guess I shouldn’t have. It’s
my fault Al’s dead.
She starts crying. Willie Mitchell puts his arms around her
and pulls her to him.
MARY MARGARET
How did my life get so messed up?
He hugs her and strokes her hair.
MARY MARGARET
I’m so tired. I’m going to get in
bed and try to go to sleep.
WILLIE MITCHELL
That’s what you need. Call me when
you wake up tomorrow.
He opens the door.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Keep this door locked and the
safety chain on. Don’t let anyone
in but me.
MARY MARGARET
Love you.
She closes the door behind him.
EXT. BEST WESTERN SECOND FLOOR. NIGHT.
Willie Mitchell stands outside Room 27 getting his keys out
of his pocket. He hears something inside, listens intently
then walks down the steps.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
44 -
Silent Pursuit
EXT. BEST WESTERN PARKING LOT. NIGHT.
He gets in his truck and drives out of the parking lot.
EXT. SUNSHINE STREETS. NIGHT.
Willie Mitchell pulls out onto the four lane in front of the
Best Western, drives a bit then makes several turns on
different streets.
He stops the truck on a side street behind the Best Western
and walks to a small grove of cypress trees.
He leans against a cypress tree in the darkness and keeps his
eyes on Room 27.
After a while, he sees the door to Room 27 open slightly. A
hand extends out of the room.
He sees the Lexus trunk light come on as the trunk pops open
an inch or two.
The door to Room 27 opens and a person in a dark, hooded
parka looks around, then hustles out of the room and down the
stairs to the Lexus and climbs in the trunk.
After a moment, Mary Margaret, in a baseball cap and jogging
suit, walks out of the room and down to the Lexus. She opens
the trunk slightly, whispers something then closes it.
Willie Mitchell watches the Lexus back out. He walks to his
truck.
EXT. FOUR LANE HIGHWAY THROUGH SUNSHINE. NIGHT.
Willie Mitchell pulls onto the four lane. He sees the tail
lights of the Lexus in the distance and follows them.
The Lexus turns off the four lane and heads north on a two
lane state highway.
EXT. STATE HIGHWAY. NIGHT.
Willie Mitchell follows the Lexus, keeping his distance.
The rural highway is very dark. Several miles north of town,
he sees the Lexus turn onto a dirt road.
Willie Mitchell cuts off his headlights and turns slowly onto
the dirt road.
A bolt of lightning streaks through the southern sky.
EXT. DIRT ROAD. NIGHT.
He drives in the darkness on the dirt road and stops in a
grove of willow trees, parking the truck so it can’t be seen
in the dense undergrowth.
Willie Mitchell walks on the road. He sees the Lexus brake
lights come on and after a moment, a light comes on in a
wooden camp house. He walks toward it.
He stands in the darkness behind the Lexus and watches the
house for a minute.
Willie Mitchell walks back to the willows leans against his
truck, eyes on the camp house.
EXT. DIRT ROAD. NIGHT.
Willie Mitchell looks at his watch. He’s been there a long
time. He walks to the dirt road and picks up a rock and
throws it into the darkness. He picks up and throws another.
And another.
EXT. DIRT ROAD. DAWN.
The eastern sky lightens. Willie Mitchell stands in the road
watching the camp house. He sees the brake and rear lights of
the Lexus illuminate.
He walks to his truck and hides with it in the undergrowth in
the willow grove, watching the road.
The Lexus slowly passes. Inside the Lexus, Willie Mitchell
sees Mary Margaret staring into the lighted mirror over the
steering wheel. She’s putting on lipstick as she drives.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
45 -
The Arrest at Duck Camp
EXT. DIRT ROAD. MORNING.
Thirty minutes later there’s much more light. Willie Mitchell
makes a call on his cell.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I found McKinley. He’s out at my
duck camp. Probably sleeping. I’m
here, too.
He listens a moment.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’ll fill you in later. Come on out
with a few men just in case.
Willie Mitchell walks down the road to the camp, up the
wooden steps and bangs the screen door.
WILLIE MITCHELL
McKinley. Come on out. It’s Willie
Mitchell.
He waits a minute, then bangs the door again.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Come on, McKinley. I’m by myself.
Willie Mitchell sits on the edge of the porch, his feet
dangling. The door opens a bit. McKinley peers out, still
half-asleep.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Come over here and sit down. I want
to talk to you.
McKinley walks over rubbing his eyes. He sits next to Willie
Mitchell.
MCKINLEY
You come to arrest me?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Sheriff Jones will be here in a
minute. He’ll arrest you.
MCKINLEY
You mad at me?
WILLIE MITCHELL
No. But I can’t figure this out.
You’ve never been in any trouble.
Then you go and do this.
MCKINLEY
He was going to kill Mary Margaret.
I did it to save her life.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did she ask you to?
MCKINLEY
Not directly. But he was always
threatening, telling me how sorry
she was, a tramp and all. I did see
him swing at her from his chair a
couple of times. She told me
herself Little Al said he was going
to kill her.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You see him hit her?
MCKINLEY
Naw. I saw him miss a couple times
‘cause he was so drunk.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Whose idea was it to come out here?
MCKINLEY
I didn’t have no one else to turn
to. She told me about this place
out here. Said you never used it.
WILLIE MITCHELL
How long you been involved with
her?
MCKINLEY
Whatchu mean?
WILLIE MITCHELL
You were in her hotel room. You
spent the night with her here last
night. I saw you get in the trunk.
MCKINLEY
How long you been involved with
her?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did you come up with the idea of
burning the Anderson house with him
in it?
MCKINLEY
I best be getting me a lawyer.
WILLIE MITCHELL
That’s a good idea. Don’t say
anything to anyone but your lawyer.
Don’t answer any questions.
They hear sirens in the distance.
WILLIE MITCHELL
They’re not going to hurt you.
The Sheriff’s Tahoe and two patrol units bounce along the
dirt road and stop in front of the camp.
Four deputies get out with guns drawn. Lee walks behind them.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Put your guns away. McKinley’s not
going to resist. He wants a lawyer.
The deputies handcuff McKinley and put him in a patrol car.
Lee Jones barks stern orders to his men.
SHERIFF
Take him in and put him in the
holding cell for now. Don’t
question him and don’t let anything
happen to him.
The two patrol units leave.
SHERIFF
You need a ride?
WILLIE MITCHELL
My truck’s over there. You go on
in. I’ll fill you in when I get
there.
The Sheriff drives off. Willie Mitchell walks inside the camp
house.
Genres:
["Drama","Crime","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
46 -
Delegation and Secrecy
INT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S PRIVATE OFFICE. MORNING.
Willie Mitchell talks to Walton.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’m going to be out of pocket a few
days. I want you to run the office,
deal with the Fire Marshal, get the
coroner to expedite his report.
Schedule the Grand Jury for next
week to present the case against
McKinley.
WALTON
What about the other bomb throwers?
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’ve asked Lee to complete the
investigation but hold off on any
additional arrests just yet.
WALTON
Where are you going?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Won’t be gone long. Call me if you
need me.
Genres:
["Drama","Crime"]
Ratings
Scene
47 -
Echoes of the Past
EXT. JOE’S JUNKYARD. MORNING.
Willie Mitchell parks his truck and walks through a gate into
the wrecking yard. A sign on the fence says JOE’S JUNKYARD,
SUNSHINE, MISSISSIPPI. There are wrecked cars all around. A
man in coveralls finishes crushing a vehicle in his huge
machine, sees Willie Mitchell and climbs down. He wipes his
hands on a red rag and greets the D.A.
JOE
How you doing, Willie Mitchell?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Bad Man Jose.
The shake hands. Joe spits a brown stream of tobacco juice.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You got time to answer a few
questions?
JOE
Yes, sir. Anything for you.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Little Al’s silver Mercedes was
brought here after the wreck where
he killed the little girl three
years ago, wasn’t it?
JOE
I drug it out of the bayou and
towed it here myself.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What kind of shape was it in?
JOE
It was banged up pretty good. Front
end all tore up. I thought it could
be fixed but they wanted it
crushed. Bad memories, I guess.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Who’d you deal with?
JOE
Big Al some. Mostly Little Al’s
wife.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Any chance it’s still here?
JOE
No. That Mercedes is long gone to
car heaven. I sell the crushed cars
for scrap.
WILLIE MITCHELL
All right, Jose. Thanks.
EXT. BAYOU ROAD. DAY.
Willie Mitchell pulls off the bayou road and walks to a small
cross stuck in the ground between the asphalt and the bayou.
Faded purple and red ribbons are ruffled by the wind as he
squats down an looks at the picture of Dee Johnson attached
to the cross.
He stands up and looks at the road behind him, then studies
the road ahead toward the housing project in the distance.
He walks down the bank to the bayou. Several of the cypress
trees and knees still bear the scars where the Mercedes
plowed into them.
Willie Mitchell walks back to the road, studies the layout
for a while, gets back in his truck and drives off.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
48 -
Tensions on the Road
INT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S TRUCK. DAY.
Willie Mitchell drives on I-55. He takes a sip from his
coffee cup and makes a hands-free call on his cell.
MARY MARGARET
Hello.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Hey. Feeling better?
MARY MARGARET
A little. I finally got some sleep.
Where are you?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Driving to Oxford on some business
at the law school. They arrested
McKinley.
MARY MARGARET
At your duck camp. Big Al told me.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Apparently one of the farmers who
works a place down the dirt road
saw him, called the Sheriff.
There’s silence on the phone.
MARY MARGARET
I need to tell you something.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Okay.
MARY MARGARET
I dropped McKinley off at your
camp.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You did what?
MARY MARGARET
I know it was stupid. But he was
scared and didn’t know where to
turn.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You could have called me.
MARY MARGARET
I tried to get him to turn himself
in but he was afraid something
would happen to him.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Something is going to happen to
him.
MARY MARGARET
I mean he was afraid of getting
beaten or worse.
WILLIE MITCHELL
This is not good. You could be
charged as an accessory after the
fact.
MARY MARGARET
I’m not a criminal. He was so
scared and pitiful. I was going to
tell you today.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You’ve put me in a bad spot.
MARY MARGARET
I love you. When can I see you?
WILLIE MITCHELL
I don’t know.
MARY MARGARET
Tell me you love me.
Willie Mitchell waits a moment.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I love you.
MARY MARGARET
When are you coming back?
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’m not sure. Maybe a day. Maybe
two.
MARY MARGARET
Hurry.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’ll call you tomorrow.
Willie Mitchell ends the call. He finds another contact on
his phone and makes another hands-free call.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What did you find out?
JIMMY GRAY
I just left the dealership. I
talked to the body shop manager.
He’s been there fifteen years.
WILLIE MITCHELL
He remember anything?
JIMMY GRAY
Oh, yeah. One of his men in the
body shop at the time was from
Sunshine. He told the manager all
about the little girl’s death.
WILLIE MITCHELL
He remember working on the Lexus?
JIMMY GRAY
Sure does.
Willie Mitchell turns off the divided highway and enters
Oxford. Traffic is heavy.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Let me check in and I’ll call you
back. You talk to Buzz at the
insurance agency or the assessor?
JIMMY GRAY
That’s next.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You staying sober?
JIMMY GRAY
More or less. You?
WILLIE MITCHELL
As a judge. Call you in a minute.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
49 -
Investigating Mary Margaret Barnes
EXT. OXFORD SQUARE. AFTERNOON.
Willie Mitchell parks his truck in front of a red brick
building and walks in. A plaque reads Webster, Woodward &
Langer. Attorneys At Law.
INT. LAW FIRM WAITING ROOM. AFTERNOON.
Willie Mitchell sits waiting, making notes on a legal pad.
The interior door opens.
RECEPTIONIST
Mr. Webster will see you now.
INT. LAW OFFICE. AFTERNOON.
Willie Mitchell sits across from a distinguished gray-haired
lawyer in his seventies.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I remember when you were president
of the state bar.
WEBSTER
Quite a few years back.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You’re the managing partner here?
WEBSTER
It’s a polite way of saying I’m too
old to practice any more.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I doubt that.
WEBSTER
I’ve seen you on television quite a
bit over the years.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Yes, sir. I’d like to talk to you
in confidence about a former
employee, Mary Margaret Barnes.
Mr. Webster has a stern look.
WEBSTER
Can you tell me why?
WILLIE MITCHELL
It concerns a current investigation
in Yaloquena County.
WEBSTER
I read in the paper that her
husband, a former client of this
firm while she was employed here,
was burned to death in his house.
WILLIE MITCHELL
That’s correct.
WEBSTER
Quite a tragedy. She impressed me
as a very intelligent and capable
young woman when she worked here.
The most effective paralegal we’ve
ever had.
WILLIE MITCHELL
When did she start dating Alton
Anderson, Jr.?
WEBSTER
They met in the office while she
worked here. He and his father were
good clients. (beat) She left under
unpleasant circumstances and I
heard enrolled in law school.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I thought she quit the firm to
marry Alton Jr.
WEBSTER
Not quite. She resigned and two
days later filed suit against a
partner and the firm.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What was the lawsuit about?
WEBSTER
Rather than tell you, it might be
more efficient to let you read the
complaint.
WILLIE MITCHELL
All right.
WEBSTER
Her personnel file might be of
interest to you as well. It’s no
longer privileged.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Is the partner she sued still here?
WEBSTER
Yes. A fine lawyer. Cameron.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Could I talk to Mr. Cameron?
WEBSTER
Is Mary Margaret in some kind of
trouble?
WILLIE MITCHELL
She might be.
WEBSTER
And you think talking to the
partner might help you gather
information detrimental to Mary
Margaret?
WILLIE MITCHELL
It might.
WEBSTER
Then by all means you should talk
to the partner. Mr. Cameron is in
the office. Let me call him.
INT. LAW FIRM WAITING ROOM.
A lawyer escorts Willie Mitchell to the exit. They shake
hands.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I appreciate your time, Mr.
Cameron.
CAMERON
Let me know if you need any other
information. Glad to help.
Genres:
["Legal Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
50 -
A Call on the Road
INT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S TRUCK. DAY.
Willie Mitchell is driving south on I-55. He’s got a legal
pad next to him on the console, making notes, glancing up at
the highway.
He makes a hands-free call.
MARY MARGARET
I’m so glad you called.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Anything wrong?
MARY MARGARET
I just need you here.
WILLIE MITCHELL
On my way.
MARY MARGARET
I miss you.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I feel the same.
MARY MARGARET
Walton called and said I’ll be
getting a subpoena to testify at
the Grand Jury next week.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I asked him to call you. Don’t
worry about being there at nine.
We’ll call you when it’s your turn
to testify.
MARY MARGARET
I have to testify? I didn’t see
anything.
WILLIE MITCHELL
It won’t be bad. Just background
stuff. We’re going to indict
McKinley for murder and move it to
trial as soon as possible.
MARY MARGARET
I hate to think about him in jail.
What he did was wrong, but it might
have saved my life.
WILLIE MITCHELL
The sooner we get this behind us
the better.
MARY MARGARET
You’re right. I can’t wait to be
with you all the time.
WILLIE MITCHELL
We need to cool it for a while. For
appearances. You shouldn’t come
over.
MARY MARGARET
I understand. I’m staying at Big
Al’s sister’s home.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’ll call you.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
51 -
Testimony of Fear and Courage
INT. COURTROOM. MORNING.
Judge Zelda Williams is on the bench. She’s looking at
fifteen people seated in the jury box and in chairs in front.
Eleven are black, three white, and one Asian.
A tall, confident black woman in her fifties, stands in the
jury box and faces the Judge.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Mrs. Delphinia Gibbs, I hereby
appoint you foreperson of this
Grand Jury.
Mrs. Gibbs is pleased.
MRS. GIBBS
Yes, your honor.
INT. GRAND JURY ROOM. MORNING.
Marzell Owens is in the witness chair.
WILLIE MITCHELL
How did Little Al treat you and
McKinley?
MARZELL
He treated McKinley real bad. Worse
than me.
WILLIE MITCHELL
How did he treat Mary Margaret?
MARZELL
Worse than us.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Do you know whether Little Al
threatened to kill Mary Margaret?
MARZELL
This is what McKinley told me. He
said Miss Mary Margaret told him
Little Al said he was going to kill
her.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did Mary Margaret ever tell you
that?
MARZELL
No, suh.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did you tell anyone about the
threat?
MARZELL
No, suh.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Why not?
MARZELL
Scared, I guess.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did McKinley ever tell you he was
going to do something about Little
Al, about his threat?
MARZELL
No, suh. But McKinley’s got
courage. He ain’t scared like me.
A tear rolls down Marzell’s wrinkled cheek. He pulls out an
old handkerchief and wipes his eyes.
MARZELL
Can I say something?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Sure.
MARZELL
I don’t know what my boy did.
That’s the gospel truth. But that
fire--it saved Miss Mary Margaret’s
life. I believe that. There was no
meaner man alive, black or white,
than Little Al. I know he was mad
‘cause he was crippled, but I do
believe he was going to kill her.
Genres:
["Legal Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
52 -
Testimony of Regret
INT. GRAND JURY ROOM. MORNING.
Big Al is in the witness chair.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Just a few more questions, Mr.
Anderson. Did you ever hear Little
Al threaten to harm Mary Margaret?
BIG AL
Yes, I’m sorry to say.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did he threaten to kill her?
BIG AL
No. But his threats to beat her got
a lot worse after he found out
about you and Mary Margaret.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Do you know how he found out?
BIG AL
No, sir. I don’t.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did you ever hear him threaten to
harm anyone else?
BIG AL
After he found out, you know, Mary
Margaret told me Little Al said he
was going to kill you, too.
The Grand Jurors look at Willie Mitchell.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did he carry a gun?
BIG AL
Ever since the wreck he did. He was
scared a lot of the time.
(MORE)
BIG AL (CONT’D)
There was a good bit of talk in the
black community. I think that’s why
he drank so much.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did he ever pull it on anyone?
BIG AL
No. Most of the time it wasn’t even
loaded. I know that for a fact.
WILLIE MITCHELL
After his wreck, did you hire
anyone to look into it?
BIG AL
We thought about it, but after the
Sheriff said his blood alcohol was
so high we decided it wasn’t any
use.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Who is we?
BIG AL
Me and Mary Margaret.
Big Al looks down at his hands, takes a deep breath.
BIG AL
My son was very cruel to Mary
Margaret for years. It got worse
the last few months. I don’t know
how she put up with it.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
53 -
Midnight Confessions
INT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S KITCHEN. NIGHT.
Willie Mitchell removes a frosted half-gallon of Smirnoff’s
from the freezer and places it on the counter. He gets out a
glass, fills it with ice, and unscrews the cap.
He stares at it for a while and decides not to pour any.
He screws the cap on and puts it back in the freezer, grabs
the Mr. Coffee carafe and fills it with water.
There’s a soft knock on the kitchen door. The door opens and
Mary Margaret walks in and hugs him lightly.
WILLIE MITCHELL
This is a pleasant surprise.
MARY MARGARET
I couldn’t sleep.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Nervous about tomorrow?
She whimpers “yes” and rests her head on his chest.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’ll be there with you every step
of the way. Just tell the truth and
you’ll do fine.
MARY MARGARET
I’ve missed you.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Me, too.
She looks into his eyes and kisses him with passion.
The swinging door to the dining room opens and Walton walks
through holding a legal pad.
WALTON
On the hearsay issue, I...
Walton’s eyes grow wide. He backs up immediately through the
swinging door.
WALTON
Sorry. Excuse me.
Willie Mitchell leads Mary Margaret to the back door. He
embraces her and they kiss again. He cups her breast in his
hand.
MARY MARGARET
Do you want me to wait upstairs?
WILLIE MITCHELL
No. Walton and I have more work to
do to get ready for tomorrow.
MARY MARGARET
Has something gone wrong?
WILLIE MITCHELL
Not at all. It’s all looking good.
MARY MARGARET
I can come back after he leaves.
WILLIE MITCHELL
There’ll be plenty of time for us
after this is over.
He gently moves her out of the door.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Go home and get some rest. See you
in the morning at nine. Be over
before you know it.
He closes the door behind her.
Genres:
["Drama","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
54 -
Confrontation in the Grand Jury Room
INT. GRAND JURY ROOM. MORNING.
Mary Margaret stands at the witness chair with her right hand
raised taking the oath. She’s dressed conservatively.
Walton sits taking notes in the corner.
MARY MARGARET
I do.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Mrs. Anderson, this is a small
town...
MARY MARGARET
Please call me Mary Margaret.
WILLIE MITCHELL
All right. The jurors have heard
testimony about your deceased
husband, how he treated you. And
though it hasn’t been discussed in
here at length, I’m sure the Grand
Jurors are aware that you and I
have been involved, a romantic
relationship.
Grand Jurors look at Willie Mitchell. Some nod in agreement.
WILLIE MITCHELL
That is true, is it not?
MARY MARGARET
Yes.
WILLIE MITCHELL
And because of that, I have a
conflict of interest in asking you
questions about Little Al’s death.
Do you agree?
MARY MARGARET
Yes.
WILLIE MITCHELL
And you have legal training as a
paralegal and a year of law school,
is that correct?
MARY MARGARET
Yes.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Now, I am willing to recuse myself
from this case, or you may waive
the conflict of interest.
MARY MARGARET
I waive it. I’ll answer your
questions.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Would you like to talk to an
attorney first?
MARY MARGARET
No. I’ve nothing to hide.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Mary Margaret, did you have
anything to do with the death of
your husband?
MARY MARGARET
No.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did you know that McKinley Owens
and others were going to burn down
the Anderson house with him in it?
MARY MARGARET
No.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did you tell McKinley Owens that
Little Al said he was going to kill
you?
MARY MARGARET
Yes.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Where were you that night?
MARY MARGARET
At your house with you.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did your husband have a life
insurance policy?
MARY MARGARET
A few days after the fire Big Al
told me. I didn’t know before.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You are the sole beneficiary?
MARY MARGARET
That’s what Mr. Anderson said.
WILLIE MITCHELL
And the death benefit is two
million dollars?
MARY MARGARET
That’s what he said. I’ve never
seen the policy.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Mary Margaret, I apologize for the
intrusiveness of these questions,
but Grand Jurors should have this
information.
Foreperson Delphinia Gibbs looks at the D.A.
MARY MARGARET
It’s quite all right. I understand.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did Little Al have a will?
MARY MARGARET
Yes.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Who did he leave everything to?
MARY MARGARET
Mr. Anderson said I was the sole
legatee. He told me Little Al made
the will right after we married.
I’ve never seen it.
WILLIE MITCHELL
The firm you worked for in Oxford
drew up the will, did they not?
MARY MARGARET
Yes. They did all of the Anderson
family’s legal work, long before I
met Little Al.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You were working at the firm when
you met Little Al, is that right?
MARY MARGARET
Yes.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Do you know the value of the land
that Little Al owned outright?
MARY MARGARET
No. I never talked to him about his
property or who owned it.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Would it surprise you to learn the
tax assessor has it appraised at
five million dollars?
MARY MARGARET
That’s news to me, Willie Mitchell.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Before we go further, is there
anything you’d like to say to the
Grand Jurors at this point?
MARY MARGARET
I’m sorry I was not a faithful wife
to Little Al.
She reaches in her purse, gets a Kleenex and dabs her eyes.
MARY MARGARET
After the death of the little girl,
my husband was angry and drunk all
the time. At the end, when he found
out about us, he got worse. He was
in the wheelchair, and his manhood
was already...
She breaks down in tears.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Why not just divorce him?
MARY MARGARET
I should have. After the wreck, I
felt like I needed to take care of
him. He was sweet when we first
married.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did you know he carried a gun?
MARY MARGARET
Yes.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Was it loaded?
MARY MARGARET
I always assumed it was. I’m afraid
of guns. I never touched it.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You filed a sexual harassment suit
when you left the law firm against
a partner, Mr. Cameron, did you
not?
Mary Margaret is taken aback.
MARY MARGARET
Yes. I felt like I had to protect
other women from him.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Ultimately you won a settlement.
MARY MARGARET
They paid because they knew they
were in the wrong.
WILLIE MITCHELL
How much?
MARY MARGARET
I signed a non-disclosure.
WILLIE MITCHELL
$200,000 wasn’t it?
The Grand Jurors sit up.
MARY MARGARET
Now, Willie Mitchell, if you’re
going to testify shouldn’t you be
sworn in, too?
WILLIE MITCHELL
If you would like to stop answering
questions now, you can.
She glares at him, steel in her eyes.
MARY MARGARET
That’s all right. All I can do is
tell the truth.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Let’s go back in time for a moment,
before the wreck. Isn’t it true
that you were aware of Little Al’s
financial situation before you
started dating him?
MARY MARGARET
Not really.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Didn’t your firm prepare a federal
government disclosure form which
required him to divulge all his
assets and income?
MARY MARGARET
Yes, but I didn’t work on it.
WILLIE MITCHELL
But it was all in his file, and you
had access to it didn’t you?
MARY MARGARET
Yes. But I didn’t look at it.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Do you know a woman in Oxford named
Wanda Percy?
MARY MARGARET
Yes. I worked with her.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Would it surprise you to learn
Mrs. Percy told me she saw you
reading Little Al’s file before you
began dating him?
MARY MARGARET
I don’t know why she would say
that. She is mistaken.
WILLIE MITCHELL
And if Wanda Percy said a woman at
the firm named Amy Tutweiler said
she typed Little Al’s will and told
you he left everything to you,
would that be a lie as well?
MARY MARGARET
Wanda Percy didn’t care for me. I
think she was jealous. As far as
Amy Tutweiler, the only thing I
asked her was whether Little Al had
kept his appointment. Nothing about
what was in the will.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Are you sure you want that to be
your sworn testimony today?
MARY MARGARET
I have no choice. It’s the truth.
WILLIE MITCHELL
When you first moved to Sunshine,
were you and Little Al happy?
MARY MARGARET
Very much so. I loved him and we
got along.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Any problems?
MARY MARGARET
Just the usual things. He stayed
out with his friends too late. He
drank too much even then.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did he drink and drive?
MARY MARGARET
Yes. We argued about that a lot.
WILLIE MITCHELL
But you wouldn’t leave him because
you had your eyes on his money?
She gets angry.
MARY MARGARET
That’s not true. Since I fell in
love with you, have I ever asked
you for money?
The Grand Jurors look at Willie Mitchell.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’ll ask the questions.
MARY MARGARET
These folks might like to know the
answer. It’s no. All I’ve ever
asked for is your love. Why are you
doing this to me?
She cries. A few Grand Jurors react. They’re on her side.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Just a couple more questions.
WILLIE MITCHELL
After the wreck where Dee Johnson
was killed, what happened to Little
Al’s silver Mercedes?
MARY MARGARET
It was totaled.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You asked to have it crushed?
MARY MARGARET
Yes. Big Al and I did. We couldn’t
bear to look at it.
WILLIE MITCHELL
The body shop man told you he could
fix it?
MARY MARGARET
That’s what he said. The insurance
company paid us the total value.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What were you driving at the time?
MARY MARGARET
The same black Lexus I drive now.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Why did you get your black Lexus
repaired in Jackson a week after
Dee Johnson was killed?
MARY MARGARET
Little Al was in the hospital in
Jackson.
(MORE)
MARY MARGARET (CONT’D)
I was spending all my time up
there. My car had needed repair for
some time.
WILLIE MITCHELL
How was it damaged?
MARY MARGARET
Someone hit it in the Jitney Mart
parking lot.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did you report it to the police?
MARY MARGARET
I called them. They said it was
private property and they didn’t
have jurisdiction. (beat) I was
sitting in the hospital every day.
I had bought the car at the Jackson
dealership and they came to the
hospital, picked it up and fixed
it. It was just convenient.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Didn’t Little Al say someone ran
him off the road into the little
girl?
MARY MARGARET
Yes, but there was no evidence of
it. He was so drunk that night he
was hallucinating in the E.R.
WILLIE MITCHELL
He ever use drugs?
MARY MARGARET
No. His blood alcohol level at the
hospital was .025.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Did anyone other than you hear
Little Al threaten to kill you?
MARY MARGARET
I don’t know. He told me many times
he would kill me.
Willie Mitchell looks down at his notes.
MARY MARGARET
Did you tell the Grand Jurors he
came to your office with his gun
and started yelling at you?
WILLIE MITCHELL
You’ve just told them. How did
Little Al find out about us?
MARY MARGARET
It’s a small town. I don’t know.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You told him, didn’t you?
MARY MARGARET
No.
WILLIE MITCHELL
After Takisha Berry’s arrest became
a controversy you saw your
opportunity to finish what you
started with Little Al, didn’t you?
MARY MARGARET
What on earth are you talking
about?
WILLIE MITCHELL
With him in a wheelchair and always
drunk it was easy, wasn’t it?
MARY MARGARET
I think you’ve lost your mind.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Isn’t it true you had sex with
McKinley Owens in Room 27 at the
Best Western the very afternoon
after Al’s body was found?
The Grand Jurors gasp.
MARY MARGARET
I did no such thing.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I saw him with my own eyes leave
your room and get in the trunk of
your Lexus. I followed you out to
my duck camp, where you spent the
night with him in the same bed.
She bursts out crying.
MARY MARGARET
He did come to my room at the Best
Western, but there was no sex. He
was scared people like you would
kill him. That’s why I took him to
your duck camp. I’m not from here.
It’s the only remote place I could
think of. (beat) I told you several
days ago I took him to your camp to
hide. I knew it was stupid. But he
was so scared. You know about it
because I told you.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I know about it because I followed
you out there. And after McKinley’s
arrest, after everyone left, I went
through the camp and there was only
one bed slept in. And it was a
mess.
MARY MARGARET
I slept in a chair.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Why don’t you tell us the real
reason you helped McKinley.
MARY MARGARET
I helped him because he saved my
life. Al was going to kill me.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You picked my duck camp to
implicate me further in your
scheme, didn’t you. The same reason
you came on to me. The same reason
you were making love to me at the
moment Little Al was burning up.
She stands up and points at Willie Mitchell.
MARY MARGARET
I did that because I loved you and
wanted to marry you. You’ve made it
sound so ugly.
The Grand Jurors look down, some shake their heads. It’s hard
to watch what’s happening.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Why should these Grand Jurors
believe you and not me? Who stood
to gain from his death?
MARY MARGARET
Because I am telling the truth. You
talk about lies. Your father was on
the White Citizens Council and Big
Al was on the Sovereignty
Commission. You told me in bed one
night you knew about Mr. Banks
being on the Council and how much
he hated black people, and you had
to keep it secret because you
needed black votes to stay in
office.
The Grand Jurors stare at Willie Mitchell. Several black
jurors cross their arms.
WILLIE MITCHELL
My God, Mary Margaret. Is there
anything you won’t do or say to get
Little Al’s money?
She storms out of the Grand Jury room.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You’re excused.
The door slams. He looks at the Grand Jurors.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’m sorry you all had to listen to
that. We have one more witness
today, and Mr. Donaldson will
present him.
Willie Mitchell walks out.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery","Legal"]
Ratings
Scene
55 -
Confrontation in the Courthouse
INT. COURTHOUSE HALLWAY. MORNING.
He catches up to her in the hallway and grabs her arm.
MARY MARGARET
Get your hands off me.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Quite a performance. Bringing up
the White Citizens Council was
brilliant. You think no black juror
will listen to me.
MARY MARGARET
They won’t. And I never want to see
you again.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Maybe not, but you will. You’re not
getting away with this. I’ll see to
it you’re charged with murder.
She laughs.
MARY MARGARET
You’re going to be removed from
this case. You’re going to be
investigated from ethical and
criminal violations. You’ll be
lucky to come out of it with your
law license. You’re so screwed.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You’re probably right. But I’m
going to expose you for the cold-
blooded killer you are.
MARY MARGARET
Better look in the mirror. I think
a case can be made that you were in
on the whole thing, Little Al’s
death included. Your hands are
dirty. Think about it. You’ve got
as much to lose as I do. There’s
enough evidence to support a
justification for McKinley. He
saved my life for sure. You come
after me, I’m coming after you.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You’re an evil woman.
She laughs.
MARY MARGARET
I’ll be back later when the Grand
Jury reports to the Judge. You
think about you want your future to
play out.
She turns and walks out.
Genres:
["Legal Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
56 -
Unraveling Deception
INT. GRAND JURY ROOM. MORNING.
Walton is in the middle of questioning a white man with
mottled skin and a bad dye job. Jules Gannon is about sixty.
WALTON
And you recall the details about
repairing Mrs. Anderson’s Lexus?
GANNON
Very well. One of my body men lived
in Sunshine. He knew all about her
husband running over the girl.
WALTON
When you picked up her car at the
hospital, did she tell you how the
damage happened?
GANNON
She said her car was hit in a
grocery store parking lot. I wrote
it down on the repair order.
WALTON
Could you tell if the damage was
recent?
GANNON
I been doing this thirty years. I
can tell old damage from new. This
was new.
WALTON
Did you take pictures of it?
GANNON
We take before and after
photographs on all insurance work.
WALTON
Did you bring them like I asked?
He pulls a number of photographs from his pocket.
GANNON
You can have these. We don’t need
them any more.
Walton walks around and picks up a picture.
WALTON
You and I have looked at these
photographs together, haven’t we?
GANNON
Yes, sir.
WALTON
Tell the Grand Jury what this one
shows.
GANNON
The damage to the front fender and
bumper unit on the passenger side.
He points to something in the picture.
GANNON
This paint here, it’s a metallic
silver. I recognized it because
when we handled BMW and Mercedes I
worked with it all the time. It’s
an unusual paint, German for sure.
WALTON
Anything else unusual about this
repair job?
GANNON
I told Mrs. Anderson we could
probably fix the fender. But she
said she wanted all new parts,
fender and bumper.
WALTON
Did you report any of this to
anyone at the time?
GANNON
Wasn’t no reason to. I figure she
got hit by a metallic silver
Mercedes in the parking lot, like
she said.
WALTON
Thank you, Mr. Gannon, you’re
excused.
He leaves. Mrs. Gibbs, the foreperson raises her hand.
MRS. GIBBS
Little Al was driving his silver
Mercedes toward the projects when
he hit Dee Johnson, right?
WALTON
That’s correct.
MRS. GIBBS
And if Mary Margaret Anderson had
come around his car and run him off
the road it would have damaged the
very part of her Lexus the man just
said he fixed.
WALTON
Right.
MRS. GIBBS
And he said the metallic silver
paint on her Lexus was the kind
that was on a Mercedes.
WALTON
That’s correct.
MRS. GIBBS
So the evidence is showing Mrs.
Anderson must have run Little Al
off the road and into Dee.
WALTON
Well, the only thing we’re
considering right now is the case
against McKinley Owens for burning
the Anderson home and killing
Little Al. The evidence about the
Lexus and her involvement in the
wreck will be presented at another
time.
MRS. GIBBS
You brought up this testimony about
the wreck that killed Dee just to
show us the woman is lying, is that
right?
WALTON
Yes. Let me read the relevant
statutes for you to consider.
He opens a criminal code and turns to the correct page.
Delphinia Gibbs crosses her arms. She’s not happy.
Genres:
["Legal Drama","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
57 -
Verdict and Confrontation
INT. COURTROOM. AFTERNOON.
Judge Williams is on the bench. McKinley Owens and his lawyer
Eleanor Bernstein sit at the defense table. Walton and Willie
Mitchell sit at the prosecution table.
The Grand Jurors file in and take their seats.
Willie Mitchell turns to scan the courtroom. Sonya Johnson,
Dee’s mother, and thirty other black women and men sit in the
rows behind McKinley.
Mary Margaret Anderson sits by herself in the last row.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Have you had sufficient time to
deliberate, Mrs. Gibbs?
MRS. GIBBS
Yes, your honor.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
And how do you find in the matter
of State vs. McKinley Owens?
MRS. GIBBS
We find him not guilty.
The crowd behind McKinley erupts. Judge Williams bangs her
gavel and brings the court to order.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
This is not a trial, Mrs. Gibbs. Do
you mean you didn’t find sufficient
evidence to indict Mr. Owens for
the murder of Alton Anderson, Jr?
MRS. GIBBS
That’s right, Judge. That’s what I
meant.
The crowd murmurs. Judge Williams taps her gavel
MRS. GIBBS
Judge Williams, we’d like to know
if we can bring charges for this
murder or for another murder
against someone other than McKinley
Owens.
Judge Williams looks at the prosecutors. Willie Mitchell
stands.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Your honor, we’ll be reconvening
this Grand Jury next month to
consider other matters that have
been raised in testimony this week.
The jurors can be excused for
today.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Very well. Ladies and gentlemen,
you may go. The District Attorney
will be in contact with you.
They file out of the courtroom. Delphinia Gibbs glares at
Mary Margaret as she walks out.
After they leave, Judge Williams taps her gavel.
JUDGE WILLIAMS
Court is adjourned.
The crowd behind McKinley, with Sonya in the lead, gather
around him, congratulating him. Everyone is smiling and
laughing.
McKinley spies Mary Margaret in the back. She sees him but
doesn’t acknowledge him. She leaves the courtroom. Sonya
notices McKinley watching Mary Margaret. Sonya tugs on him.
SONYA
Leave her alone. She ain’t nothing.
Sonya leads McKinley into the center aisle. They walk out,
McKinley’s arm around Sonya. The rest of the crowd lingers,
congratulating Eleanor Bernstein.
INT. COURTHOUSE HALLWAY. AFTERNOON.
Delphinia Gibbs waits at the end of the hall outside the
courtroom. When McKinley and Sonya pass her, she follows them
into the stairwell.
INT. COURTHOUSE STAIRWELL. AFTERNOON.
She’s behind them on the steps and calls out.
MRS. GIBBS
McKinley.
McKinley and Sonya stop on the landing. She joins them and
starts whispering and gesturing.
McKinley listens, growing angrier. He slaps his open hand
against the tile wall.
Sonya is in shock, eyes wide, mouth open, tears flowing.
McKinley starts down the steps. Sonya tries to stop him.
SONYA
No, McKinley. No. No. No.
EXT. COURTHOUSE PARKING LOT. AFTERNOON.
McKinley sees Mary Margaret walking. She’s almost to her
Lexus. He races toward her.
Genres:
["Legal Drama","Mystery","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
58 -
Urgent Decisions
INT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S PRIVATE OFFICE. AFTERNOON.
Willie Mitchell puts the files on his desk. Walton stands at
the door.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What a mess.
WALTON
What are you going to do?
WILLIE MITCHELL
First thing I’m doing is placing a
call to the Judicial Administrator
in Jackson at the Supreme Court.
I’m just going to lay it all out.
WALTON
Are you...?
WILLIE MITCHELL
I’m recusing myself from everything
related to this. They might even
ask me to resign as D.A.
Deputy Sheriff Will Gresham rushes in, out of breath.
GRESHAM
Come quick. McKinley and Mrs.
Anderson. In the parking lot.
Willie Mitchell and Walton race out of the office.
Genres:
["Legal Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
59 -
A Tragic Discovery
EXT. COURTHOUSE PARKING LOT. AFTERNOON.
Willie Mitchell and Walton stop running when they reach the
crowd in the parking lot.
Sheriff Jones sees Willie Mitchell.
SHERIFF
Let the D.A. through.
The crowd steps back to make a path. Willie Mitchell walks
through, followed closely by Walton.
When they get to the center of the crowd, Willie Mitchell
stops. Mary Margaret is splayed on the asphalt, her head
resting at an odd angle against the rear tire of her Lexus.
Her eyes are open, but she’s dead.
McKinley is being restrained by four deputies. He twists and
turns in their grasp, yelling in rage.
MCKINLEY
She killed my baby. She killed Dee.
The deputies take him away. Willie Mitchell walks over to the
body. He bends down and closes Mary Margaret’s eyes.
Sheriff Jones stands with him, patting him on the back.
Genres:
["Drama","Crime","Legal"]
Ratings
Scene
60 -
A Night of Reflection
INT. WILLIE MITCHELL’S KITCHEN. NIGHT.
Jimmy Gray sits with Willie Mitchell at the kitchen table, an
old scarred pine table with tiny black wormholes.
Willie Mitchell drinks ice water. Jimmy Gray has a Diet Coke.
JIMMY GRAY
It’s not your fault.
WILLIE MITCHELL
I didn’t strangle her if that’s
what you mean.
JIMMY GRAY
She made her bed. The flesh is
weak.
Willie Mitchell looks at Jimmy.
JIMMY GRAY
I’ve got more cliches. (beat) Susan
wants you to call her.
WILLIE MITCHELL
What did you say?
JIMMY GRAY
Martha and Susan have been talking
a lot lately.
WILLIE MITCHELL
How could I have been so gullible?
Mary Margaret played me like a
fiddle.
JIMMY GRAY
It’s a familiar story, podnuh.
Biblical.
WILLIE MITCHELL
You say it’s rough justice?
JIMMY GRAY
Little Al got what was coming to
him. Mary Margaret was just as
guilty in Dee’s death. McKinley was
manipulated by her into committing
the arson murder. As far as his
strangling her, it was a heat of
passion homicide. Let him plead to
both homicides for fifteen years.
He’ll be out in five. Mary Margaret
doesn’t have any family that’ll
complain. Big Al’s not blaming you
for anything. He’s selling the
store and moving, by the way.
WILLIE MITCHELL
He told me the other day.
JIMMY GRAY
Come on, man. This is the Delta.
People have seen a lot worse. In a
year it’ll be a dim memory.
WILLIE MITCHELL
Why don’t you leave so I can call
Susan?
JIMMY GRAY
Now, you’re talking.
THE END