“Diva V”

Exterior shot: a brownstone near Central Park. A taxi is parked by the curb. The trunk is open and the driver is loading expensive luggage into it. An unmarked police car pulls up behind it. SULLIVAN gets out, apprises the scene and starts up the brownstone stairs. Halfway up, he stops. DARLENE, in hat and coat, has appeared in the open doorway. Seeing him, she freezes.

SULLIVAN:    Going somewhere?

DARLENE:     To the market.

SULLIVAN:    With suitcases?

DARLENE:     That’s not my cab.

SULLIVAN bounds up the stairs and grabs DARLENE’s arm. He hustles her into the house.

Interior shot: the shadowy foyer of DARLENE’s house. SULLIVAN drags her through the open doorway and backs her into the wall.

DARLENE (protesting): What are you doing here? What do you want?

SULLIVAN:    The DA has a case. I’ve come to arrest you for the murder of your husband.

DARLENE:     Arrest me? Are you sure you didn’t come to warn me?

SULLIVAN (angrily): You lied to me. You lied to the District Attorney, to the papers — maybe even to yourself.

DARLENE:     Is that why you’re here, Sully? To save me from myself? I don’t need you to save me. I don’t need your help.

SULLIVAN:    Without it, you’ll need a good lawyer.

DARLENE:     What are you going to do, Detective? You want to help me? Let me go. Help me by letting me go!

SULLIVAN (shaking her): I can’t let you go, Darlene, do you hear? I can’t let you go; I can’t—

(He suddenly kisses her. She resists briefly, then gives into the kiss.)

* * *

“Cut!” Hamilton yelled.

The cameras stopped rolling. The lights came up. The set technicians shuffled uncertain feet and murmured between themselves. The film crew stayed still, their attention glued to the star couple kissing in the spotlight. Her eyes were closed. His were not.

“We can’t use this,” the producer complained.

The director tried again. “I said, ‘Cut’!”

Dane didn’t heed him and Ellie didn’t care.

The kiss continued.