Caroline, you're driving everybody nuts!
Can't you just tell me a little bit about it?
No.
Oh, come on.
Just a teeny-tiny hint.
Not until it's finished.
You know the drill.
The minute it's finished and I am ready,
you will be the first to know.
Promise, Anne.
When it's finished,
you should take a break and relax a little bit.
You will have a manuscript within a few days.
Before I, um, before I head off to Vial.
Why wasn't I invited?
I met a guy.
- Oh really? - Yeah.
That's great.
Do I know him? I don't think so, no.
Who is he? What does he do?
Forget that.
What does he look like?
Put it this way.
He is sexier than any character I've ever written about.
We are gonna sit around the fire,
cuddle, drink hot chocolate.
And, uh, this girl, she's getting laid this weekend,
thank you very much.
Well, at least try to do some skiing while you're there.
I don't wanna waste any time on the slopes
or any energy.
Speaking of energy, I think I'm gonna call it a night.
Allie's got a doctor's appointment in the morning.
Yeah.
Good luck and give Allie a big kiss for me, okay?
I will. Good night.
Good night.
Allie.
Hey.
Wake up, sleepy head.
Oh, Mom.
I've been trying to wake you up for 20 minutes.
Get dressed and come down for breakfast.
Now, Allie.
Good morning, Marta.
Good morning, Anne.
Oh, don't forget,
Allie's got her doctors appointment today at 11.
Mom, not again.
It's okay, baby.
What do we always say?
It's better to be safe than sorry.
I know.
Here you go, little one.
Thank you, Aunt Mimi.
Hm, I gotta get going.
I'll see you girls in a few hours.
Mwah.
Good morning, Candy.
You know I hate it when you call me that.
Yeah, but you still love me.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
All right, what you got for me?
Well, Jeremy Seeger is coming in in 30 minutes.
Here's the synopsis for his new work, "For These Eyes."
Yeah, he's a bit of a talker
and I have to be at Dr. Gardener's by 11:00.
Help me make sure he's gone by 10:30?
I'll try to get around to it.
Please, Candy.
Of course.
See, I knew you loved me.
Good morning, ladies.
How are you doing today, huh?
- Good. - We're good, thanks.
And you?
I'm fine, thanks for asking.
So Allie, how have you been feeling.
Fine, I guess.
Yeah?
Any fatigue?
Anything, uh, out of the ordinary, like more tired?
Mm, I don't know.
She has been harder to wake up in the morning.
I'm not sure that's anything to worry about.
Any strenuous activity?
No, we're getting ready to go on vacation actually.
Is that right?
Well, that's good.
Listen, you two deserve a vacation.
Allie, my nurse is gonna come in here.
She's gonna take good care of you,
but I need you to be very brave.
I'll see you.
Thanks.
So Mark, I haven't seen you in a while.
What have you been up to lately?
Well, nothing too obscene, unfortunately.
I've been sailing quite a bit,
checking out some of the sites
and I met some new and interesting people, that's for sure.
Hmm.
How's your daughter doing?
She doing better?
She's much better.
And thank you for asking.
Okay.
So, "Mind Theft"?
- Oh, yeah - What's, what's
going on there?
Ugh, "Mind Thefts."
I think you're gonna love it.
It's about a psychopathic doctor
who manipulates his patients
by implanting the thoughts of others into 'em,
hence the name "Mind Theft."
Yeah.
Sounds like it's leaning more toward a sci-fi genre,
which you, you understand, it's not my area of expertise.
But, I'd be happy to take a look.
Thank you.
You won't be disappointed.
I mean, I, I hope that you're not disappointed.
Hmm.
Oh, just so you know,
it'll be a bit before I can get back to you.
I'm going on vacation
so I'll be outta touch for a few weeks.
Really?
Where to?
To Michigan.
Michigan, that's funny,
because I've got a speaking engagement at Northern.
Maybe we can get together
and we can discuss what you think of this, "Mind Theft."
Mark, I will contact you when I return, okay?
You have my word.
Well, if this one doesn't grab you,
the one I'm working on right now,
it's sure to be a bestseller.
All right, have a good day.
Oh, Annie.
So is Mark optimistic about his new story?
They always are.
What did you think?
Well, he's certainly due for a good one.
He hasn't really had anything worthwhile
since "Theater Of the Mine."
That was a great story.
Yeah.
Did you get everything set up for my trip?
I sure did.
You are a doll.
Okay, I better go if I'm gonna catch up with Michelle.
Okay.
I need this vacation.
You look like you need more than that.
Yeah.
I need caffeine.
Cookies.
And real ice cream.
Mm-hmm
And a man.
God, no, I don't need that.
Anne, I know you've been through a lot
these past few years,
but as your best and wisest friend,
I refuse to let you become a spinster.
I'm not.
I just don't feel like dating right now, okay.
Who said anything about dating?
I'm trying to get you laid.
Come on Anne.
You know millions of handsome, successful, single men.
My clients?
Yeah.
Please.
I don't think of my clients as sexual objects.
- Well- - Besides,
they're all so egotistical,
they probably moan their own name.
Okay.
So how about an unknown,
a potential up and coming?
Just tell him, you'll get him published if he puts out.
So now I'm a publishing pimp?
No, I'm pretty sure
that actually would make you the publishing slut.
Oh yeah, that's much better.
- If it's fun. - Look out.
Dr. Gardener's on line one.
Okay, thanks.
Hello.
Well, Anne, uh, listen, something's come up.
I, I would like to run some additional tests for Allison.
What is it?
Well, it's probably nothing.
Yeah, but let's make sure, okay?
When?
I'd like you in here the next couple of days.
Okay, I just, I just need to make a phone call
and rearrange a few things.
Okay.
I can't do it, Michelle.
I just, I don't have it in me again.
I don't think Allie has it in her again.
He said for sure he wants to do more tests?
Okay, then, Anne, it's probably just precautionary
at this point.
Whatever it is, I, I need to cancel our trip.
Anne, no, you need a break.
If this is back, you need to be ready to fight.
But I can't leave her behind.
Marta and I can handle it.
We'll take her for her tests
and then we'll bring her up to you when she's done.
That way you can have a couple days
to get a bunch of reading done.
You can still spend time with Allie.
And you'll come back ready to sign a bunch of new deals.
And you need this.
It's a win-win.
I don't know.
Maybe.
I need to talk to Allie first, okay?
Yeah.
Come here.
Mommy?
Hmm.
Why is the place we're going called Lost Lake?
Well, because it's in the middle of nowhere.
So if you don't know where you're going, you get lost.
Oh.
Allie?
I have something really important to talk to you about.
What, Mommy?
Well, I'm gonna go to Michigan tomorrow.
Uh, Michelle and Aunt Mimi
are gonna bring you out a few days later.
Why?
Because you have more tests to do with Dr. Gardener.
Look at it this way,
I can get all my work done before you get there
and then we can spend every minute together.
Are you okay with that, baby?
- Yeah, but- - But what?
No fishing without me.
Deal.
Good night, Allie-Gator.
Good night.
Hey.
Love you.
Love you too.
Hi, George, it's Anne.
Anne, how are you?
Good, good.
Uh, uh, listen, George.
There might be a slight change of plans.
Is everything okay?
Well sort of.
It's Allie.
Listen, Anne.
We can reschedule if you have to, that's not a problem.
Oh no, no, it's not that.
I'm leaving here in a few hours,
but Allie has to stay behind for some tests.
If everything goes okay,
she'll be joining me in a few days
and we'll be staying the full two weeks.
Whatever you decide, the cabin's ready for you.
Uh, George, I gotta go.
Okay, Anne, safe travels.
Okay, thanks, bye-bye.
Do you want some help with that?
I've got it.
Miss Independent.
I like it.
Now, you be good for you Aunt Mimi, okay?
Make sure you listen to her.
It's gonna be just like any other day.
I know.
Anne, don't worry.
We've got everything under control.
Almost.
- All right. - Drive safe.
I will.
Mm, I love you.
I love too.
You outdo yourself every year, George.
You little stinker.
Gerald Morgan?
You little bitch.
"Bestseller" by Gerald Morgan.
Dear Ms. Harper,
I apologize if I've caught you off guard
with my submission,
but this story was just too good
not to bring you in on.
"Bestseller" is about a beautiful literary agent
who vacations to a remote cabin in northern Michigan.
Little does she know, a disgruntled writer,
whom she's turned down numerous times,
is about to make a house call.
It's only a story, Anne.
If you decide it isn't what you're looking for,
I will respectfully thank you for your valuable time.
I look forward to hearing from you
upon your return to Chicago.
Hmm.
Very clever, Morgan.
Very clever.
You're gonna love this, Allie.
Dismal.
I'm gonna need something a little stronger.
No way.
There's not enough medication in the world.
Not even enough of this stuff.
Mm.
Hm.
Good night, Allie-Gator.
Hm.
What?
What the hell?
I thought.
Maybe a little too much wine.
Certainly grabbed my attention.
Hmm.
He poured hydrochloric acid
into the hummingbird feeder.
By afternoon, the ground beneath the feeder
would be littered with dozens of shiny green hummingbirds.
You've really got me on it here, Morgan.
Here's an idea.
Oh, shit, I almost forgot the oars.
Cut you.
Fuck you.
Kill you.
Cut you.
Fuck you.
Kill you.
Hey, Sam.
Hey, Hunter.
So how's the day going?
Well, it's slow.
Sheriff Moore.
Ms. Harper.
It's good to see ya.
It's been a while.
Yeah, well, I've been keeping pretty busy back in Chicago.
Oh, I wanna move there so bad after high school.
Oh, it's a great city.
You'll love it.
So how's old Otto's place been treating you.
It's so peaceful up here.
It's been quiet and uneventful.
Everything I was hoping for.
Good, that's, that's good.
Will this be it for you?
- Yes. - All righty,
31.19.
So how's your little Allie doing?
Oh, she's doing great.
Thanks for asking.
- Okay. - How about yours?
My youngest just started college.
Oh, gosh, time flies.
Oh, yeah.
Thank you so much.
You're welcome, have a great day.
You too.
It's good seeing you again.
Yeah, you too Sheriff.
Now, enjoy yourself out here,
but try to stay outta trouble.
I'll try.
You got any hotdogs?
- Oh- - 50 cent?
- Ah. - Two for one?
Yeah, we do actually.
Okay.
Grape soda, please.
Aren't you supposed to be on vacation?
Aren't you supposed to be my assistant?
Okay, okay, I concede.
What's up?
Can you call someone for me?
Certainly.
Who?
Gerald Morgan.
What?
Did you say-
- Gerald Morgan.
I, I know this sounds crazy, Candace, but he-
- Wait, wait, wait.
You're fucking with me, right?
Morgan?
Gerald Morgan?
Trash the office Morgan?
That's the one.
He's got a pretty hot piece here.
I want you to tell him that I'm very interested.
Well, now I don't know who's crazier, you or Morgan.
You know I'm not one to turn down good writing, Candace.
Yeah, but you've turned him down multiple times.
That wasn't because he was a bad writer.
I always saw potential there.
He just never had that killer ending, you know?
And now?
The way it's reading so far,
I wouldn't be surprised if he proved me wrong.
That's weird.
I thought I left that on.
Okay, Morgan.
Let's see where you're going with this.
It was a dead loon
hanging listless from a tree branch.
A string had been wrapped around its neck in a crude noose.
Don't look now, but your goose is about to be cooked.
He watched with delight as she ran for the cabin,
but he wasn't in any hurry to follow.
For him, the waiting was delicious.
He wanted to let the terror sink in just long enough
so that when the moment was right.
It's only a story, Anne.
Oh, shit!
Whoa, whoa.
I, I'm sorry, ma'am.
No, no, it's okay.
You just startled me.
I, I'm really sorry.
I, I didn't mean to just, you know, disturb you.
No, really, really, it's okay.
I'm Cliff Stevenson.
That's my house over there across the lake.
Hi.
I'm Anne.
Harper.
- Yes. - Yeah, George told me
all about you.
Just as pretty as he described too.
Oh, well, thank you.
I'll have to remember to give George a bigger tip this year.
Oh, look, I know you're busy.
I, I just wanted to introduce myself
and to apologize if my shooting disturbed you earlier.
That was you?
Yeah, target practice.
Gotta make sure the rifle's in good working order.
Any good ones?
Well, that remains to be seen.
So, Cliff, have you lived here long?
Bought my place back in '92
as a, started out as vacation home.
I retired a few years back
and been living up here ever since.
Hmm, that's nice.
Maybe when I retire, I'll buy a place here.
Now, there's no nicer place.
So how long are you here for?
My daughter arrives the day after tomorrow,
and we'll be staying another week.
That'll be nice.
There haven't been any youngsters
out this way in quite a while.
No, what, what about you, Cliff?
Any children or grandchildren?
Grandkids live out in Washington.
They're fairly busy.
They don't get a chance to visit much.
Oh, well, if you're up for it,
Allie and I could stop by later this week for a visit?
Yeah, I, I'd like that.
I got a rowboat, I could take you guys out fishing.
She would love that.
Well, there's a path
that winds around the lake over to my place.
Um, it's kind of muddy and wet in spots,
so don't wear your good shoes.
Okay, I'll remember that.
Yeah, well, I know you're busy, so I'll leave you to it.
But if there's anything you need,
day or night, just come on over,
the door's always open.
Thanks, Cliff.
I'll see you in a few days.
Nice to meet you, Anne.
You too, you have a good night.
Thank you.
Your goose is about to be cooked.
- Top of the morning- - Find Gerald Morgan.
Hello, to you too.
Candace, this is important.
Find Gerald Morgan.
Find him like, in person.
Yes.
Well-
- What?
It's just, it's funny that you mention him.
He called.
When?
Right after I got off the phone
with you last night, I called him and left a message.
And then when I called the office this morning,
there were two messages, one from Dr. Gardener
and the other one was from Morgan.
What did he say?
Who, Morgan or the doc?
First Morgan, then Dr. Gardener.
He said something along the lines of,
he couldn't wait for you to get back to town
and talk about his new story, yada, yada, yada.
Why, what's up?
Okay.
Okay, th-th-that's good.
Are you gonna tell me what's going on?
Yeah, so, uh, the story that Morgan submitted,
the one I was bragging about last night.
Yeah.
Well, it freaked the shit of me.
That good, huh?
It's not that.
He modeled the whole story around my life.
A literary agent who vacations
to a small cabin in northern Michigan.
And while she's there, a disgruntled writer,
stalks and tortures her.
That's not what got to me though.
It's how he taunts her in the story.
How?
He kills a loon and strings it up.
I don't remember you being so-
- So what?
So jumpy.
Yeah, well, I wasn't until I walked outside this morning
and saw a dead duck strung up.
You don't think that he-
- I don't know, I did until I talked to you.
Well, what if I'm wrong?
You know what, now that I think about it,
how would he know where I'm at?
Maybe he got a hold of George or something.
George wouldn't give out that information.
What about that damn dead duck?
How is that funny?
Because now that I think about it,
maybe it was just a coincidence.
The duck looked like it could have gotten tangled
in my neighbor's fishing line.
Okay, wait a second.
You called me freaking out
and now you're trying to calm me down.
Yeah, that sounds about right.
Okay, next time,
could you like go through it in your head before you call?
So what did Dr. Gardener say?
Just that he wanted you to call him back.
I was listening to the message when you beeped in.
You might wanna take a listen.
All right.
And Anne?
Yeah?
Be safe.
I will.
Anne, Tom Gardener.
It's Tuesday around 9:00 pm.
Call me between 5:00 and 6:00 Wednesday evening,
would you please?
I'll be at my home office.
This is Gerald Morgan
returning your call about a manuscript.
I was thrilled to hear that you might be-
- Harper residence.
Morning, Marta.
Good morning, Anne.
Uh, this is awfully early, is everything okay?
Yeah, I just wanna talk to Allie.
Is she awake?
No.
She wasn't feeling really good last night,
so I'm letting her sleep in.
Yeah, that's probably a good idea.
Is everything okay?
I don't know yet.
Sometimes the monster comes out from nowhere.
Mommy, it hurts.
Hello?
Dr. Gardener, it's Anne.
Anne.
Well, I'm glad we finally connected.
Listen, Anne, I have some results.
It's back.
How bad?
It's serious, but we got it early this time, Anne.
In another couple months, it might have been too late.
Okay, uh, w-w-what, what do I need to,
where, where should we, what should I, um-
- She's in no immediate danger,
but I want her here in the office as soon as possible.
We're booked for weeks, but I do not want Allison to wait.
No, she'll be there tonight if you, if you need her.
I can have Marta fly out with her
and I-I'll just catch a flight from-
- Anne, calm down.
Like I said, it's serious,
but we got a head start this time.
So I want you in the Rochester office
Friday afternoon, all right?
Friday it is then.
And Tom?
Look, Anne, you thank me when you get here.
Hi, this is Anne.
Hi, this is Allie.
Please leave a message.
Marta, it's Anne.
I'm leaving here tonight.
I'll call and explain more when I'm on the road.
Anne Harper Agency, this is Candace.
Candace, I need for you to book a flight
for Allie and I to Rochester, Minnesota.
Wait, Anne, what's happening?
It's back.
We're meeting with Dr. Gardener
at the Mayo Clinic on Friday.
I'm leaving here in half an hour.
Okay.
Drive safe.
Thanks.
Come on,
hold it together.
Don't lose it now.
He's here.
Shit!
Mr. Stevenson!
Oh, my God.
"How's this for a Cliff Hanger?"
No!
Shit!
He wants me to finish.
He's here.
Anne?
Anne!
It's me, Mark.
Mark Franklin.
Mark?
Mark!
Mark, here.
I'm here.
Oh, Mark. Are you okay?
I'm so glad you're here.
What's going on?
I've been sitting here waiting to,
I thought I was gonna, I thought
I was gonna die Slow down, calm down.
Calm down, just tell me what's going on.
He's out there and he killed Cliff.
Who's out there?
Who the heck is Cliff.
He was my neigh- never, nevermind.
Wait a minute.
What are you doing there?
How did you know I was here?
Candace.
Candace called me.
She, she wanted to see if I was still in the area
and I was only a couple hours away,
so she asked if I'd come check on you.
She said that a, a Gerald Morgan
called your office threatening you.
Said that he called from some little town, tour-
- DeTour?
Yeah, yeah, I think I might have passed it
on the way here.
I got lost twice trying to find this place.
When I saw your Jeep back there in the field
with the tires blown out.
You know, there's like these little metal things
all over the two-track, I almost ran over 'em myself.
Wait a minute, what about Candace?
What did Morgan say to her?
Some nonsense about if you didn't accept his manuscript,
he was gonna do something.
What?
I don't know, he didn't elaborate.
I mean, Candace went to the police,
but since he didn't say what he was gonna do,
they couldn't do anything.
I mean, maybe you can still, you know,
file some charges against him
or get a restraining order
or something. No, I already have one.
A lot of fucking good that's doing me.
Oh, Mark, you wouldn't believe what he's done,
what he's doing, and he's here.
Where?
- Somewhere out there. - Huh?
Wait a minute, it looks clear.
We have to get out of here.
All right, we'll get your stuff.
No, no, we have to leave now!
Whoa, whoa, take it easy, Anne.
Shh.
You take it easy, okay?
You're, you're starting to scare me.
He's trying to kill me.
All right, we'll just go and we call 911
from the road if we can catch a signal, okay?
Right, then take my hand.
Lock the door, lock the door.
All right, all right.
I've never seen you this freaked out before.
No, no, I'm sorry.
I'm just, I'm just a little wound up right now, that's all.
I never had a chance to thank you.
I owe you my life.
I didn't do anything.
But do you mind telling me what's happening?
He's insane.
And I mean, he's sick, like you wouldn't believe.
He wrote this story that he's acting now.
It's like it's his own personal blueprint or something.
He wrote it about me, Mark.
This is Gerald Morgan?
The creepy guy that you had escorted
outta your office, right?
He's been here all along.
All week.
Probably longer.
Oh, you have no idea how glad I am to see you.
You have no idea how hard you are to find.
When you get away, Ms. Harper, you really get away.
I just don't understand.
I mean, I know he's out of his mind,
but what did I ever do to him?
I mean, I can't imagine anything that nut job
would do that would make any sort of sense.
He sent me manuscripts in the past
and they were all well written,
just always had these loose ends to tie up.
I thought this one could have been his masterpiece.
But I was wrong.
What do you mean?
The plot, the composition.
Everything was brilliant,
except the ending.
It's funny, he's never had a single word published.
I know, he's, he's messed up.
That's his problem, he's psychotic.
He's one sick puppy.
You all right?
Yeah, I'm just not feeling so well that's all.
That's understandable.
Why don't you just get comfortable and try to relax.
Look out!
You're a fucking bitch!
Anne!
Annie!
That sounded like it hurt.
You better not be fucking dead.
You're ruining all my fun, Anne!
Cut you, Anne.
You can't escape me.
There's no weapon you have a right to.
Nowhere, you hear me, Anne?
You wanna play, Annie?
Let's play..
Ready or not, here I come!
Oh, shit!
Oh, fuck.
I am gonna kill you, Anne Harper.
I'm gonna cut you.
I'm gonna fuck you.
And I'm gonna kill you.
Fuck!
Where do you keep the fucking bullets!
Annie!
I know where you're at,
'cause you're too damned predictable.
You're only making this harder on yourself, Annie!
I took all the bullets right after I hung him.
It's a shame, isn't it?
All these guns and no ammo.
Annie.
Annie!
I will get you, Anne Harper!
You bitch!
Fucking bitch.
You can't escape me, Anne.
I see you, Annie.
It's no fair.
Beth never had a row boat.
Where do you think you're going, Annie?
I love a moving target.
Nice try, Annie.
Nice try.
I'm coming for you, Annie.
Almost there, Annie.
Turn around, Annie.
Interesting chapter.
Must admit, you really had me going back there,
but now it's time that we get back to our original story.
So why don't you be a good little girl
and grab the front of the boat.
Slowly.
Take us to shore.
It's lovely out, isn't it?
You know, when you live in the darkness,
it all becomes a little less frightening.
Hm, it's getting me excited, Annie.
I don't know how much more of this I can take.
Get us ashore!
You bitch!
You're fucking dead, you bitch.
Got you, Annie.
Annie, Annie, Annie.
Little orphan, Annie.
All alone.
You wanna play?
I have a little something special for you, Annie.
Something that Gerald did write about.
Oh, yeah.
You do know that Gerald Morgan
is the author of "Bestseller," don't you?
Yeah, he wrote the book,
but it needed some work.
Needed an ending, Anne,
and I'm an expert at endings.
When they find you, let me correct myself,
when they find your body,
the trail is gonna lead right back
to our good friend, Gerald Morgan.
Three hours from now,
you're gonna wish that you were Beth Huston,
because I'm gonna make you scream
the way I made Caroline Mayer scream.
You hear me?
See, I always wanted to be a novelist, Anne.
That's when I met Caroline Mayer.
That stuck up bitch.
And an idea popped into my head, Anne.
If I couldn't write something
that somebody wanted, I'll just borrow one.
And guess who that person was?
Drum roll, Annie.
You bastard.
Well, after her death, I patiently waited in the wings.
For months, I waited to submit my work
until the timing was just right.
Do you remember what you said?
You said it was heart-stopping.
Ironic choice of words, isn't it, Anne?
I'll say, success after that was wonderful, Annie.
Fame and fortune.
Sailing around the country,
it allowed me to pursue certain interests, if you will,
a hobby that I had grown quite fond of.
It was great.
It was all great,
right up until you stopped taking on any of my other work.
You killed my career!
And I'm here to return the favor.
No.
It's getting late.
We've got a lot of work to do.
No.
So why don't we get fucking started,
shall we? No.
No, no.
Annie!
I'm home!
Oh, Annie, that is not one of the games
that we are playing tonight.
You'll have to kill me first.
That is on the agenda.
But you're gonna have to wait a while, I'm afraid.
I brought some toys, Annie.
A few toys for us to play with.
Oh.
To capture the moment.
You don't wanna waste all those good memories now.
Cocaine.
It's a marvelous drug, Anne.
For example, when I cut off your nipples,
you're gonna be feeling some discomfort.
We'll put a little bit of this Coke on the affected area
and then magically, the pain will just disappear.
It will wear off though, because it is a drug.
But those are the breaks.
Are you ready?
I said, you'll have to kill me first.
I don't think you're gonna like that
because it's gonna be messy.
Maybe what I'll do is I will just wound you
and make you drop that poker.
Put it down!
Oh, that's a good girl, Annie.
Now that we have that out of the way, strip.
I wanna see you.
Come on!
I'm not gonna ask you again.
Oh, yeah.
Throw it here.
Throw it here!
You're lovely, Anne.
You're beautiful, in fact.
Now the bra.
No.
Nice and slow.
And while I could sit and watch you all night,
we do have a lot of work to do.
Don't you move you son of a bitch!
I'll shoot, Mark, I swear to God.
Surely you wouldn't, Annie.
Oh, Annie.
Tough break, Annie.
Tough break.
Goodbye, Allie
Oh, Allie.
Well, don't you worry about her,
'cause that little bitch is next.
No!
I'm gonna fucking cut you!
You bitch!
You fucking bitch!
Isn't that pain exquisite?
Huh?
I'm rewriting your ending, you son of a bitch.
What the.
Ms. Harper.
You still gonna tell me that you weren't involved.
He's killed dozens of women on his book signing tour.
And you're gonna tell me
that, uh, this video doesn't implicate you?
Look, my client doesn't have to answer any question
he's not comfortable with.
I don't know how many times I have to tell you.
I didn't know about the others.
And I wasn't involved in Anne Harper's ordeal whatsoever.
And why were you at the book signing?
Why'd you hand off your manuscript to Mark Franklin.
I was there because Mark signed to an agency
I hoped to be a part of.
I thought if I followed him around enough,
his genius might rub off on me.
Did it?
I hoped it would.
That's why I gave him my manuscript.
I needed some help with my ending,
and he offered to write notes.
In the end, he simply stole it outright.
Why'd you name your character, Beth Huston?
You knew that Franklin killed a woman
by that exact name in Detroit last year, didn't you?
The last six chapters of your book, Mr. Morgan,
describes to the letter, how she was killed.
Like I said, Mark stole my story.
He must have written the ending
and changed my character's name
from Alice Douglas to Beth Huston.
If you don't believe me, ask my attorney.
Are we done here?
Yeah.
Yeah, you're done.
Get outta here.
Ms. Harper.
Hello.
Mr. Morgan.
You're looking well.
Thank you, I feel well.
Um, listen, I'm sorry, you know,
for all of this, for everything.
It's not your fault, you had no control over it.
Well, I still feel terrible.
I realize that this may not be the most appropriate timing,
what did you think of "Bestseller,"
minus the ending of course.
It was interesting.
A little frightening, but all in all,
it was smart and daring.
Thank you.
I hope this isn't too premature,
but would you consider representing me?
Well, I-
- Don't worry.
I can handle rejection now.
No, it's not that.
I just, I wasn't expecting to.
You know what?
Why don't you call my office Monday?
Make an appointment, and we'll go from there.
I will.
Thank you, Anne.
But Gerald,
make sure this time you write the ending.
I already have one in mind.
Hello, Mr. Franklin.
What can I sign for you?
Oh, I'm here for something else actually.
What's that?
I've been following your work for quite some time now
and I have to say, I'm a fan.
Oh, yeah?
I'm not sure if you can help me with something,
being such a famous author,
signed to the Anne Harper Agency and all.
Between you and me, that bitch can kiss my ass.
So what do you want with me?
I've been writing this story for months,
you know, pouring over it.
I was hoping that you could take it off my hands
and help me realize my perfect ending.
Endings are my specialty.
"Bestseller."
Catchy title.
Hi, Caroline.
We caught it early.
The doctor's say that she's gonna make a full recovery.
I didn't think I was gonna make it out alive.
I keep seeing his face.