Ruby:
(Cuts Marguerite off) “She’s not your daughter, why would she ask you? And what are you doing, dressing up like your mother? Your not trying to be her are you? Your not Miss Helena, You’re you a nice lady. You have something to eat now and you’ll be fine.”
Marguerite:
(Slaps Ruby hard across the face and hisses) “You mind your manners Ruby! How dare you talk to me like that!!”
Ruby:
“Don’t you hit me! I’ve been taking care of you all your life and I’m going to keep on doin so. Your not you’re mother and Julie ain’t your daughter. And if you think your going to do to her what your mother did to her you’ve got another think comin’ because I won’t let that happen, you hear me?”
Marguerite says nothing but hurls a bottle of perfume towards Ruby.
Ruby:
“I told you not to do that! You want to be locked up again miss Marguerite? That what you want? I’ll do it!”
Marguerite:
“Stop! Just stop, I’m fine really truly I’m fine, just leave me alone.”
Ruby:
“You’re not fine Miss Marguerite, Your dressing up like your mama used to and playing like you’re her. Your not fine. You’re going into one of your bad times again Miss Marguerite.”
Marguerite:
(sobs) “I’m not”
Ruby:
“It’s alright, you just let it out, it’s not good for you to keep things all bottled up.”
Marguerite:
(shouts) “Leave me alone! There is nothing wrong with me except you, you look at me like I’m crazy but I’m not!!”
Ruby:
“You clam down now, or I’ll have to talk to Kevin when he gets home and explain what’s going on with you. He’ll take those kids and leave!”
Marguerite:
“He..he won’t believe you.”
Ruby:
“You’d better bet he will! Maybe not 20 years ago but times have changed and he will now! I’ll show him the room where your mother locked you up to.”
Marguerite:
(in a child like voice)“No! Please don’t tell him, I’ll be good. Why do they always go away? Mother, Mary-Beth…even Anne wanted to go away.”
Ruby:
“You killed them didn’t you? You killed Anne and you killed Mary-Beth.”
Marguerite:
(child like voice)“They were going to leave me, I had to do something, I couldn’t just let them leave.”
Ruby:
“I’ll call the doctor, he’ll come and take care of you”
We see Ruby turn to leave the room, Marguerite lunges at Ruby, we hear the sharp crack of Ruby’s ankle from the way Marguerite lands on her. Ruby crumples to the floor and Marguerite jumps on her grabbing Ruby’s hair and smashing her face over and over again into the floor. Marguerite rocks back and forth repeatedly smashing Ruby’s face until Ruby lays still. Marguerite then ties Ruby to the chairlift with her belt and takes her down to the main level of the house. We see Marguerite dragging Ruby to the top of the basement stairs she gives Ruby a push to send her tumbling into the darkness below. A light turns on [camera pans the basement and rests on a small hidden door at the back end. Marguerite opens the door and pushes Ruby in just as the door is closing we hear Ruby…
Ruby:
“No, please no…..”
We see the door close…
Marguerite:
“It’s going to be alright now, I have my home and I have my daughter to take care of me…no one will ever leave me again.”
[fade to black]
Open to Jeff and Julie sitting at the breakfast table eating cereal. Kevin walks in and pours himself some coffee..
Jeff:
“Where’s Ruby? How come were not having bacon and eggs?”
Kevin:
“Ruby had some family problems and has had to go away for a while. That is why we are eating cold cereal without complaining.”
Jeff:
“I hate this stuff. I bet Ruby’s dead.”
Kevin:
“Why on earth would you say that?”
Jeff:
“That’s why grandmother’s ghost came back last night, Ruby said whenever anyone dies here the ghost comes back.”
Kevin:
“Well if that’s what Ruby’s been putting into your head maybe she shouldn’t come back! Anyway I’ll be in the library if anyone needs me”
We see Kevin head out of the kitchen…
Jeff:
(to Julie) “You know what I bet?”
Julie:
“What?
Jeff:
“I bet Aunt Marguerite killed Ruby and buried her on the island somewhere!”
Julie:
“Jeff!!!”
Marguerite:
“What a horrible thing to say Jeffery.”
Jeff whips around and gasps as he see’s his aunt standing there.
Marguerite:
“If I ever here you say such a thing again Jeffery I’ll have no choice but to…”
We see Jeff run out the back door….
Julie:
“He didn’t mean it Aunt Marguerite, really he didn’t”
Marguerite:
“I’m sure he didn’t but I don’t understand young boys, maybe mother was right, ‘ They’re more trouble than they are worth’.”
[Fade to black]
We see Jeff walking with Toby down the main street of Devereaux, talking back and forth…
Toby:
“Well I know one way to find out if it’s family problems with Ruby, Let’s go see Emmaline. She’ll know where Ruby is.”
Jeff:
“Who’s Emmaline?”
Toby:
“Ruby’s sister, she just lives on the other side of town, come on lets go!”
We see the boy’s take off down the road, they come to a stop in front of a house that looks more like a little shack than anything else.
Toby:
“Hey Emmaline, you home?”
Emmaline:
“Who’s there?”
Toby:
“It’s me Emmaline, Its Toby!”
Emmaline:
“Don’t you go getting into any trouble out here now you hear, I might be old but I ain’t dead yet.” (looks over at Jeff) “Who are you? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
Jeff:
(stammers) “Je-Jeff….Jeff Devereaux”
Emmaline:
“What business you have out at old Emmaline’s?”
Jeff:
“We’re looking for Ruby. Aunt Marguerite says she had family problems but I didn’t believe her.”
Emmaline:
“Ruby ain’t got no other family but me, and she ain’t here. Well you’d better come in. I’ll tell you all ‘bout Marguerite.
We see the boys go into the shack and Emmaline serves them some tea…
Jeff:
(looks at Toby) “See I told you Aunt Marguerite was lying, I bet she did kill Ruby.”
Emmaline:
“I knew something like this would happen, I told her to watch out for that Miss Marguerite. Ruby said she was all better now.”
Jeff:
“B-better? What was wrong with her?”
Emmaline:
“Close as I know your aunty was crazier than a loon. It was the accident that did it.”
Jeff:
“You mean the accident that broke her hip?”
Emmaline:
“That’s not the half of it, your aunty was pregnant when she fell, she lost the baby to, that’s what drove her crazy it weren’t her hip at all. They kept her locked up for a long time after that. But no one was ever told bout it cept’ for me.’
Jeff:
“Locked up? Where?”
Marguerite:
“There’s a little room down in the basement, she was locked up there for months and months. After she was let out she never spoke of it and because so sweet that you couldn’t melt butter in her mouth…”
After a few more minutes we see the boys leave and head back up the street, Jeff sees Kevin walking into a store and runs up to him they all go into the coffee shop together…
Jeff:
“Dad…dad!”
Kevin:
“What? Why are you so upset??”
Jeff:
“I’m telling you dad, we talked to Ruby’s sister Emmaline and she says Aunt Marguerite is crazy, she thinks Ruby is dead too and that Aunt Marguerite killed her.”
Kevin:
“How about we all go to the house and ask your aunt about this?”
Jeff:
(shakes his head) “Toby won’t come out to our house he’s scared of Aunt Marguerite and I am too.”
Kevin:
“Ok then how about I go talk to your aunt and you stay at Toby’s for a while but come home for supper and it will all be worked out by then ok?”
Jeff:
“O.K.”
We see Toby and Jeff walk off down the street, then Kevin gets into his truck and heads back to the island..
[cut to the Island house]
We see Kevin pull up the driveway and climb out of the truck. Marguerite is sitting on the veranda enjoying the afternoon..
Kevin:
“How are you feeling?”
Marguerite:
“Fine, actually! I suppose I should count my blessings though!”
Kevin:
“I wish more people would do that instead of making up stories…”
Marguerite:
“What’s going on Kevin, what are you talking about stories?”
We see a replay of the coffee shop while Kevin explains to Marguerite what Jeff is thinking.
Marguerite:
“How could Emmaline say such things, and to Jeff especially!”
Kevin:
“But then where is Ruby? If she’s not with Emmaline where would she be?”
Margurite:
“I’m sure I don’t know”
We see Kevin get up from the poarch swing and head into the house to the basement steps…Then down into the basement, Marguerite follows him…Kevin stops infront of the small door at the back.
Marguerite:
“What are you doing Kevin? Where are you going?”
Kevin:
“This door won’t open, where is the key? Get me the key Marguerite.”
We see Marguerite head back up the stairs and a moment later returns with the keys…Kevin takes them and opens the door to find the bodies of, Jenny and Ruby rotting away. Kevin gag’s from the smell as he’s gagging Marguerite brings the knife she had been hiding down on his back pushes him in the room and closes the door….
[fade to black]