Confess

ERLA
INSPECTOR GUNNAR
CADET STEFAN
SAEVAR
KRISTJAN

INT. INTEROGATION ROOM MORNING

ERLA is sitting alone in the interrogation room. The clock is audibly ticking above her. She stays
silent, staring at the empty table in front of her, bore the door opens. GUNNAR steps in carrying a
huge pile of paperwork with one hand and carrying a coffee mug in the other.

GUNNAR
Good morning, ERLA, how was your night?

ERLA
(passive aggressively)
Bad. Couldn’t really sleep from all the waterboarding.

GUNNAR
(chuckling)
Oh, yeah. How ‘bout that?

GUNNAR sits down in an empty chair across from ERLA, puts down the large pile of papers on the
table and clears his throat.

GUNNAR
So today, I wanted to go over things again with you. We just got a new witness and I
want to see where her statement fits in.

ERLA crosses her arms and rolls her eyes.

ERLA
(sigh) Of course.

GUNNAR takes out a pen and motions to the large pile of papers.

GUNNAR
Start from the beginning and don’t leave anything out. I have your prior confessions
in front of me so if you forget something, I’ll correct you.

ERLA rests her arms on the table and gets ready to speak, before she is cut off by GUNNAR.

GUNNAR
It all started on a dark night…
CUT TO:

INT. ERLA’S BEDROOM NIGHT

ERLA is tossing and turning in her bed and a storm can be heard from the distance.

ERLA
(voiceover)
 It was late and I was in my bed, but I couldn’t really sleep well. There was a storm
that night and it was really loud.

Lighting strikes in the background and the shadows of two men flash above ERLA as she turns away
from the window. Unintelligible whispers can be heard over the rain.

ERLA
(voiceover)
I had this nightmare that night. I heard, SEAVAR whispering outside my window. He
was in Denmark at the time, but…

GUNNAR
(voiceover)
STOP!

CUT TO:

INT. INTEROGATION ROOM MORNING

ERLA looks annoyed at GUNNAR while he’s following the events along from a paper he’s holding.

ERLA
(annoyed)
(sigh) What?

GUNNAR pokes a section on the paper with his pen.

GUNNAR
That’s from your first statement. I need you to recount your sixth statement.

ERLA
For the love of- How do you expect me to keep up with all these versions?

GUNNAR
(solemnly)
The better question is, how do YOU expect me to keep up with all these versions?

ERLA groans, faceplanting on the table. GUNNAR pokes the top of her head with the pen, to get her
to look up.

GUNNAR
Let’s continue.

CUT TO:

INT. ERLA’S BEDROOM NIGHT

ERLA is standing in her room motionless.

GUNNAR
(voiceover)
You were there with SEAVAR and…

SEAVAR pops into existence next to ERLA standing frozen beside her.
 GUNNAR
(voiceover)
KRISTJAN.

KRISTJAN appears on ERLA’s other side.

ERLA
(annoyed voiceover)
Right, my bad. So, we were all in my room and-

GUNNAR
(voiceover)
There was a dead body.

A dead body appears by the groups feet.

ERLA
(voiceover)
YES. There was a dead body. (pause) Probably.

GUNNAR
(voiceover)
Continue.

ERLA
(agitated voiceover)
RIGHT. So, there we were in my room, WITH a dead body. SEAVAR said to,

SEAVAR
Let’s get rid of it.

ERLA
(frantic)
What do you mean ‘let’s get rid of it’? You brought a dead man in my bedroom of all
places! I’m calling the police!

The scene freezes as GUNNAR interjects again.

GUNNAR
(voiceover)
Didn’t you shoot him too?

ERLA
(voiceover)
What? No! I never said that!

GUNNAR
(voiceover)
Weird! Confession number 6 says so otherwise!

ERLA
(annoyed voiceover)
Whatever! I guess I shot the guy too now!

ERLA
 (frantic)
How are we supposed to do that? People are going to be suspicious if they see us
carrying an unconscious man outside!

SEAVAR
Don’t worry ERLA, I have an idea. KRISTJAN! Help me get this one on the bed.

SEAVAR and KRISTJAN each grab one of the body’s arms and struggle to drag him over to the bed.

KRISTJAN
(grunting)
Damn, he’s heavy!

SEAVAR
(grunting)
ERLA? Mind lending a hand?

ERLA groans, an grabs the dead body’s two ankles trying to lift it.

KRISTJAN
(angrily)
Move, damn you!

SEAVAR
Come on! What the hell did they feed him?

Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door. The group turns towards the source of the sound in confusion.
The door slowly creeks open revealing STEFAN with a notepad and a paper bag in his hands.

STEFAN
Excuse me. Did I interrupt anything important?

CUT TO:

INT. INTEROGATION ROOM MORNING

STEFAN is standing in the doorway of the interrogation room, with ERLA and GUNNAR looking at
him.

GUNNAR
(cheerily)
Not at all, STEFAN! Come in, come in!

STEFAN
Thank you, Detective GUNNAR! I’ve brought the testimony, like you asked.

STEFAN steps in and closes the door behind him. He sits down in an empty chair across from ERLA
and places the items I his hand on the table. The paper bag knocks over the tall pile of documents on
GUNNAR’s side, who gives STEFAN an annoyed look. STEFAN looks back at him obliviously with
a smile.

STEFAN
Did I miss anything?

GUNNAR
 No, nothing new. ERLA and I were just going over the order of events again.

GUNNAR turns back to ERLA who seems indifferent to the conversation happening in front of her.

GUNNAR
Please continue where you left off.

ERLA
(sigh) Sure.

CUT TO:

INT. ERLA’S BEDROOM NIGHT

ERLA, SAEVAR and KRISTJAN are still standing over the dead body, trying to get him on the bed.

ERLA
(voiceover)
So, as I was saying, we were trying to get the body on my bed, but the guy was really
heavy for some reason.

The group finally manage to drop the body on the bed.

ERLA
(out of breath)
What now?

SAEVAR
Just wait and see.

SEAVAR pulls off ERLA’s bedsheet and bundles the body inside it. SEAVAR steps back looking
proud of himself.

SEAVAR
There!

ERLA
(deadpan)
Seriously? This was your genius plan? To wrap it in my sheets? To get evidence all
over my freaking mattress?!

KRISTJAN
No offence man, but this is kind of dumb.

STEFAN
(voiceover)
Oh! So, this is where the bedsheet comes in!

CUT TO:

INT. INTEROGATION ROOM MORNING

STEFAN
I always wondered about what the deal with that was.
 ERLA
(annoyed)
Do you mind?

STEFAN
Oh, sorry.

GUNNAR
Don’t apologise STEFAN, this is a convict.

ERLA
Can I continue?

GUNNAR
Actually, no. Let’s speed this up. STEFAN here just got back from questioning your
neighbour from across the street. STEFAN?

GUNNAR reaches a hand out and STEFAN places the notebook in it. GUNNAR opens it and it and
flips through aa couple of pages before stopping. He begins reading aloud.

GUNNAR
Aha! Margit Malfus on today’s date testifies that “I din’t see nothing”.

Awkward silence fills the room. GUNNAR flips through a couple of pages in confusion, looking for
more.

GUNNAR
(confused)
What? That’s it?! STEFAN!

STEFAN salutes turning towards GUNNAR.

STEFAN
Sir!

GUNNAR
(agitated)
What is the meaning of this? There has to be more!

STEFAN
No, sir, Detective GUNNAR! That is all Mrs Malfus said, before going on a tangent
about her younger years!

GUNNAR tosses the notepad on the table as ERLA looks on with a smirk.

ERLA
(smug)
Am I free to go then?

GUNNAR hurriedly looks across the table before grabbing the paper bag and shaking it in front of
ERLA’s face.

GUNNAR
(agitated)
No! We still have this bag full of evidence!
 STEFAN
That’s not evidence, sir.

GUNNAR
(agitated)
Then what is it?!

STEFAN
Pepper cookies. Mrs Malfus brought it in for the officers. She asked me to pass them
out.

STEFAN turns to ERLA and offers a cookie from the bag.

STEFAN
Do you want one?

GUNNAR slaps the cookie out of STEFAN’s hand before ERLA could take it.

GUNNAR
(angrily yelling)
NO FEEDING THE CONVICTS!

Startled, STEFAN pulls his hand back, looking over at GUNNAR with concern. ERLA looks weirded
out b him. GUNNAR notices and forced himself to calm down.

GUNNAR
(calm)
I’m sorry STEFAN, but are you sure she didn’t say anything else?