"ONE FOR THE DAME"

By
Wendy Lee
Based on
Roald Dahls short story
LAMB TO SLAUGHTER
INT. CANTERBURY HOUSE/KITCHEN - EVENING (AUTUMN 1955)
A moderately large suburban house in the small town of
Mavery. Its 6:55 in the evening. CORRIE CANTERBURY, 28 and
beautiful, is preparing dinner. The house is quiet.
CORRIE puts a leg of lamb onto a pan and into the oven. She
closes the oven door, puts it on high, sets the timer, and
washes her hands. She takes a deep breath, then steps back
and watches the orange glow from the oven as it envelops the
meat. She sighs and leans back against the kitchen counter,
smoothing her dress nervously. She is wearing a deep red
frock with floral detailing at the hem. Louis Armstrongs
La vie en rose croons from the living room. It skips
slightly, then continues to play.
She looks at her hands. They are shaking slightly. She
steadies them on the soft fabric of her red dress, and
closes her eyes. She stands like this for a while; eyes
closed, hands stroking her frock, swaying slightly to the
music, standing in the warmth of the oven, trying to calm
her nerves.
FLASHBACK TO:
INT. CANTERBURY HOUSE/KITCHEN - EARLY EVENING
There is a metallic clank of keys and CORRIE smiles. She
runs to the hallway to greet her husband, PETER. She greets
him and throws her hands around his neck. PETER is
unaffected, and responds with a distant pat on her shoulder.
He steps back, face drawn unreadable, and looks down at her.
CORRIE touches her dress self consciously.
PETER continues to stare, and CORRIE blushes mistakenly. She
makes a remark followed by a playful smile. PETER frowns. He
starts to nod slowly, barely moving his head. He stares at
her intensely for a few long silent seconds, his face hard,
before taking off his coat, loosening his tie and heading to
the living room. CORRIE follows with light steps.
BACK TO PRESENT.
INT. CANTERBURY HOUSE/KITCHEN - EVENING (PRESENT)
CORRIEs eyes are still closed. The oven rolls a steady
rumble as she continues to stroke her dress. The grandfather
clock strikes seven from the hallway. The sound brings
CORRIE back to the present, and she opens her eyes. She
shakes her head slightly, and looks at the time. She then
straightens her dress with a quick brush of her hand, then
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 2.
heads to the dining room to finish setting the table. The
camera follows her.
She sets the table for two with great precision. After a
great amount of care, she eventually pulls out two wine
glasses. She puts them down and pads over to the wine rack,
her dress trailing lightly behind her. She slowly scans the
rows of wine, turning over the occasional bottle. She
pauses, and eventually decides on the 1945 Mouton Rothschild
claret. She let the wine breathe for a while, then pours a
glass for herself with trembling hands, and takes a slow
sip.
She notices the time. Its 7:05. A flash of alarm crosses
her face. She needs to get ready. She takes another sip of
wine, refills the two glasses, quickly straightens the
serviettes, then heads upstairs to the bedroom.
INT. CANTERBURY HOUSE/BEDROOM - EVENING (PRESENT)
She sits down before the mirror at the oak Victorian vanity
table. There is a modest clutter of hand creams, cosmetics,
and perfumes scattered across the surface. A small vase of
red spray roses sit at the corner on the right. They are
starting to wilt, and CORRIE momentarily watches as a few
petals fall. She then inhales deeply, sits up straighter,
and turns her attention to mirror. She straightens her
dress.
FLASHBACK TO:
INT. CANTERBURY HOUSE/LIVING ROOM - EARLY EVENING
CORRIE straightens her dress as she follows PETER into the
living room. The fireplace burns quietly. PETER sinks into
the old, faded Chesterfield as CORRIE puts a record on.
Louis Armstrongs La vie en rose begins to play. She then
perches herself opposite him on the arm of a Victorian
mahogany settee. She begins to quiz him about his business
trip. PETER is dismissive and almost unresponsive. He taps
his foot impatiently. CORRIE gradually falls silent, and
watches him as he watches her, his head cocked ever so
slightly, and she begins to look uncomfortable. She
eventually looks down and rubs her arm uncertainly, then
folds her hands neatly in her lap. PETER clears his throat.
CORRIE looks up intently.
BACK TO PRESENT.
3.
INT. CANTERBURY HOUSE/BEDROOM - EVENING (PRESENT)
Staring intently at her reflection, she tries to look
anxious. Her expression has a peculiar tilt. She tries
again.
CORRIE CANTERBURY
(dramatically) Oh thank god youre
here!
She pauses. She decides the voice sounds peculiar too. She
exhales, furrows her eyebrows, and tries again.
CORRIE CANTERBURY
(somewhat fast and choked) Thank
god youre here, he went out the
living room - (sharp intake) I
didnt know what to do (starts
sobbing).
She wipes an imaginary tear from her eye, wearing an
expression of great distress. Then her face transforms,
resuming its calm demeanor. She nods slightly. Satisfied,
she quickly tidies her face and touches up her lips and
eyes. She glances at the time before heading back
downstairs.
INT. CANTERBURY HOUSE/HALLWAY - EVENING (PRESENT)
CORRIE walks briskly down the stairs towards the kitchen.
She pauses at the doorway of the living room, momentarily
distracted by the scratching repetitive sound of Louis
Armstrong, who is now looping mechanically from the capsized
record player. The setting sun gives the room a deep orange
glow, casting long shadows across the polished wooden
floorboards. A few embers glow red in the fireplace. A large
figure lies limp by the Chesterfield and overturned rosewood
coffee table, where there is broken glass and spilt wine
that is starting to stain the corner of the Persian rug.
CORRIE hesitates, then walks over to the record player,
straightens it, and takes the record off. She then strides
purposefully towards the French windows and opens them all
the way. She looks around, pauses, then pushes a large
cut-glass bowl by the window onto the floor. She closes her
eyes, anticipating the fall.
FLASHBACK TO:
4.
INT. CANTERBURY HOUSE/LIVING ROOM - EARLY EVENING
PETER clears his throat, the sound breaking the silence.
CORRIE looks up intently. Theres another short silence as
he seems to consider her for a moment, his face hard and his
piercing eyes still exacted on her face. Then he begins to
speak, clearly and coldly, his expression unaffected as he
tells her that hes leaving. He removes his wedding ring and
places it on the rosewood coffee table to close his point.
Her loving gaze turns into that of a dazed horror, and she
begins to shake her head, first slowly, then violently. They
argue. She nervously strokes her ring finger, and begins to
cry hysterically. PETERs had enough, grabs her arm tightly
and shakes her violently in an attempt to shut her up. The
edge of his lip curls. CORRIEs eyes grow wide. She tries to
take a step back but PETER catches her face with his hand.
She wrestles her way out of his grip, knocking over a glass
of wine in the process. She runs to the kitchen. In a state
of hysteria, she picks up the frozen leg of lamb sitting on
the bench top.
BACK TO PRESENT.
INT. CANTERBURY HOUSE/LIVING ROOM - EVENING (PRESENT)
The bowl smashes, the sound cutting through the air. CORRIE
opens her eyes and looks around. She nods slightly. She then
walks to the kitchen. She checks on the lamb in the oven.
She glances at the time. Theyd be arriving soon. She feels
a sudden nervous tremor, and inhales deeply to control it.
She looks at her hands. Theyve started shaking again. She
decides that it will make her more convincing, and lets them
shake. Two rings sit on her ring finger. She leans against
the counter and strokes them absent-mindedly.
The sound of cars pulling into the driveway gets CORRIEs
attention. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath,
exhaling slowly. She repositions her calm expression to that
of anxious fear. She opens her eyes and allows them to fill
with tears. The act begins. There is a knock on the door.
She runs to the front door and opens it. TWO POLICEMEN walk
in. She immediately falls into their arms, weeping
hysterically.
CORRIE CANTERBURY
(between sobs) Oh! Thank god youre
here - I didnt know what to do - I
was in the kitchen and I heard a
crash - I saw the burglar, Ive
never been so scared - they killed
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 5.
my Peter - my poor Peter - Peter my
love - please help him, please do
something...
There is a quick flash of surprise and approval that crosses
the OFFICERs faces as they acknowledge the YOUNG WOMAN that
weeps in their arms. This is brief, and they soon remember
to look solemn.
OMALLEY
Mrs. Canterbury, my name is Officer
OMalley, and this is Officer
Noonan. Its alright maam, youre
safe now.Were here to help.
NOONAN
Mrs. Canterbury, would you mind
taking us to where this all
happened?
CORRIE nods between tears, and heads towards the living
room. OMALLEY and NOONAN follow. They reach the living room
and CORRIE gestures at PETERs body on the floor before
bursting into another bout of loud sobs. NOONAN walks over
to the body to examine it. OMALLEY puts CORRIE gently into
a chair before joining NOONAN. As they face away from her,
CORRIE watches them with curiosity. The OFFICERS discover
the small patch of congealed blood on the dead mans head,
and begin a flurry of hand gestures and quiet discussion.
OMALLEY picks up a piece of the broken wine glass, and
NOONAN wipes a finger along the overturned table. They both
gesture to the open french windows and the broken glass
bowl. They shake their heads in disdain, and OMALLEY throws
CORRIE a sympathetic look. She strokes the fabric of her red
dress.
NOONAN
(gently) Mrs. Canterbury, perhaps
theres somewhere else youd rather
be. I understand that this must be
very hard for you. Well let you
know if we find anything.
CORRIE nods gratefully, and slowly stands up and walks
towards the kitchen.
6.
INT. CANTERBURY HOUSE/KITCHEN - LATE EVENING (PRESENT)
The oven bell rings - the lamb is cooked. The front door
closes, and Corrie watches blankly from the window, the
glass of wine back in her hand as the DOCTOR, POLICE
PHOTOGRAPHER, and TWO ASSISTANTS carry the body to a police
van. She puts the glass down, returns to the oven, takes the
pan out and sets it on the stove to allow the lamb to cool.
OMALLEY and NOONAN pad into the kitchen, each carrying a
small notepad and pen. OMALLEY inhales the smell, and nods
approvingly at the lamb.
NOONAN
Mrs. Canterbury, weve analysed the
situation, and we believe that your
husband was killed as a result of a
burglary gone wrong.
NOONAN pauses, allowing this information to sink in. CORRIE
nods slowly without expression, and gestures for him to go
on. NOONAN clears his throat.
NOONAN
We also have reason to believe that
your husband was killed by a blow
on the back of the head
administered with a heavy blunt
instrument - almost certainly a
large piece of metal. We are still
looking for the weapon. We believe
that the murderer may have taken it
with him, but on the other hand he
mayve thrown it away, or hidden it
somewhere on the premises.
Have you happened to notice a
missing item that fits the
description? It may be helpful for
us in finding the man responsible
for your husbands death.
CORRIE pauses. She looked down at her trembling hands.
FLASHBACK TO:
7.
INT. CANTERBURY HOUSE/KITCHEN - EARLY EVENING
Holding the frozen leg of lamb in shaking hands, CORRIE
returns to the living room, still driven by the momentum of
his crippling betrayal. PETER is pacing back and forth, and
does not notice CORRIEs return. His back is turned to her,
and she crosses the room without hesitation. She raises the
leg of lamb high in the air and brings it down hard on the
back of PETERs head. There is a sickening crack, and PETER
sways slightly, before crashing to the floor, overturning
the coffee table in the process. The violence of the crash
appears to bring CORRIE out of shock.
A look of surprise crosses her face, and she stands there
momentarily, blinking at the body expectantly. As she
realises that PETER is dead, she suddenly becomes
expressionless. She heads for the phone and dials a number.
She clears her throat, then speaks hysterically into the
phone. She hangs up, checks the time, calmly picks PETERs
ring up from the floor and puts it on her ring finger,
before taking the leg of lamb back into the kitchen. The
camera follows her.
Corrie puts the leg of lamb onto a pan and into the oven.
She closes the oven door, puts it on high, sets the timer,
and washes her hands. She takes a deep breath, then steps
back and watches the orange glow from the oven as it
envelops the meat. She sighs and leans back against the
kitchen counter, smoothing her dress nervously. Louis
Armstrongs La vie en rose croons from the living room. It
skips slightly, then continues to play.
She looks at her hands. They are shaking slightly.
BACK TO PRESENT.
INT. CANTERBURY HOUSE/KITCHEN - LATE EVENING (PRESENT)
CORRIE steadies her trembling hands on her dress. She looks
back up at OMALLEY and NOONAN, who are both looking at her
with sympathy. She smiles apologetically and shakes her
head.
CORRIE CANTERBURY
Im sorry, nothing comes to mind.
Ill let you know if I find
anything missing.
(pause) I must thank you for your
help. Youve been very kind to me.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 8.
Are either of you hungry? I was
making this lamb for dinner, but
now after whats happened... Please
have it. Its the least I could do.
No, OMalley, I insist. Im not in
the mood to eat, and Id hate for
it to go to waste. Yes, yes, Im
sure. Take it with you. Im too
exhausted.
OMALLEY and NOONAN are eventually convinced, and CORRIE
carves the lamb into thin slices, before dividing it and
wrapping it in foil. She hands them the lamb and escorts
them to the door. Brief words of gratitude are exchanged.
OMALLEY
Mrs Canterbury, we will do
everything we can to find the brute
of a man who did this to your
husband. Well find the weapon,
rest assured.
CORRIE watches as NOONAN and OMALLEY walk away, lamb in
hand. She closes the front door and leans against it. She
closes her eyes and lets out a sigh of relief. She opens her
eyes, and straightens her dark red dress. A small amused
smile forms on her lips.