The Night Manager

1 INT. MADRID. APOSTOL’S HOUSE. ATRIUM. EVENING. INT. MADRID. APOSTOL’S HOUSE. ATRIUM. EVENING. 1

She’s beautiful and her hair is raven-dark. She’s 18 years

old and her face is a picture of rigid concentration.

She is walking in a glamorous summer dress down the central

staircase into the atrium of a large modernist house in

Madrid. The atrium is packed full of Madrid’s high-life and

international jet-setters. ROPER is there, JED is there,

SANDY LANGBOURNE is there, with wife CAROLINE, CORKORAN is

there flirting with a SPANISH BOY, the Lebanese OMAR BARGHATI

is there, there are a hundred or so guests and in the middle

of the room is the man himself JUAN APOSTOL, the diminutive

but highly theatrical Spanish lawyer we have seen before. He

is standing by a simply huge birthday cake and the 18 year

old girl, ELENA APOSTOL is walking towards it as music plays.

Champagne bottles pop as she blows out the 18 candles.

APOSTOL leads cheering, wild applause, he soaks up the

attention, cameras flash, but there is something of the

frightened deer about this girl and we just sense something

isn’t right.

Then APOSTOL, all gesture and gleam, his young MISTRESS at

his side, brings out a wrapped present, hands it to her.

APOSTOL:

To the most beautiful daughter in

the world!

It’s a box. Small. Wrapped with a bow. She takes it, opens

it, stares in a kind of numbed shock.

The crowd go wild, as APOSTOL gleams a smile.

It’s a stunning necklace, all diamonds and emeralds, gold

chain.

APOSTOL (CONT’D)

Gems for a gem! From the finest

jeweller in Paris!

A roar goes up.

PARTY-GOERS

Put it on. Put it on.

But her hands seem to be shaking. APOSTOL quickly covers,

grabs it, turns her like a mannequin and puts it on her neck.

A roar of applause. He whispers to her.

APOSTOL:

What the hell is wrong with you.

Smile!

She stands there with her father by her side in the glare of

modern international living.

The Night Manager ep 3 final

She smiles.

But JED can see that her eyes are like dark hollows in her

head.

2 INT. MADRID. APOSTOL’S HOUSE. ATRIUM. NIGHT. 2

Later that night, the party has gone wild, the dancing swirls

around them. There is champagne everywhere. People are taking

coke in one corner. Sex in the air. CORKORAN is in the midst

of pulling the SPANISH BOY.

ROPER is dancing with JED. Their bodies move together.

JED:

Apo holds quite a party.

ROPER:

Yes he’s not done badly. Of course

if it wasn’t for me he’d be just

another greasy little lawyer

pushing wills and ambulance-chasing

in the back streets of Malaga.

JED:

And what would I be?

She smiles at him. Nestles close.

Across the floor JUAN APOSTOL is talking to SANDY LANGBOURNE.

He gestures quietly to OMAR BARGHATI, an Arab across the

floor, who is dancing with a very beautiful European woman.

They pass close by ROPER and JED.

APOSTOL:

My friend is concerned you can’t

deliver the agricultural material

you promise.

LANGBOURNE:

Don’t worry about that.

APOSTOL:

That’s what I said to him. It’s

Roper. He is my patron saint. When

he speaks, he delivers.

SANDY LANGBOURNE

Well we’ll meet him tomorrow. And

allay his concerns.

Suddenly there is a furore. One of the MAIDS is running, pale-

faced and screaming through the room.

MAID (IN SPANISH)

Sir. Sir!

The Night Manager ep 3 final

APOSTOL (IN SPANISH)

Stop making such a noise!

But she just grabs his hand. Some dancers notice, some don’t,

as APOSTOL is pulled through his own paradise towards the

stairs.

JED watches APO walk fast across the floor.

3

INT. MADRID. APOSTOL’S HOUSE. CORRIDOR. NIGHT. 3

Music booming from below. APOSTOL runs, breathless,

panicking, towards a room at the end of the first floor

corridor. There is already another MAID standing in horror.

4

INT. MADRID. APOSTOL’S HOUSE. BEDROOM. NIGHT. 4

APOSTOL tears into the room and stops dead.

His daughter is hanging from a belt that she has attached to

a high cupboard door.

The necklace glistens on her chest.

Her face is white-blue.

APOSTOL stares in horror.

He runs to her, shakes her, she doesn’t move, she is stone

cold dead.

APOSTOL:

NO NO NO.

He stops shaking her. Then sees on the dressing table

something that shocks him to his core.

Another necklace. Identical.

And a message. With the words.

LAST YEAR’S GIFT.

Behind him JED enters the room. And sees the carnage.

APOSTOL turns to her.

APOSTOL (CONT’D)

You have no right. Get out! GET

OUT!!

JED stares in horror as the music of the party and the echoes

of laughter drum up from below.

The Night Manager ep 3 final

4a EXT. APO’S HOUSE. MADRID. NIGHT. 4a

JED and ROPER stand waiting for TABBY and FRISKY to bring the

car to come. The party is very much over everyone is leaving.

JED in shock.

JED:

He thinks the wrong girl died.

ROPER:

Well thanks to her, my meeting’s

cancelled.

JED walks away, upset. CORKORAN sidles up.

CORKORAN:

Suicide. Terrible for business.

What do you want to do about our

Arab friend?

ROPER:

Invite him to mine. Make it a lunch

party. Invite some innocents. Kids,

that sort of thing. Make it look

like fun.

CORKORAN:

Spot of candyfloss?

ROPER:

Where’s that damn car?

5 OMITTED 5

6 OMITTED 6

7 INT. MALLORCA. ROPER’S VILLA. PINE’S BEDROOM. DAY. 7

PINE is sitting in bed. Almost healed. The door suddenly

opens.

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