Season 2/Episode 5: Collaboration

by Jim McDoniel

Money worries
A visit to the library
A Rubicon is crossed

----

Content Advisories for this episode can be found below

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This episode features: Joshua K. Harris as Rudy, Ben Aldred as the Technician, Marsha Harman as Dot, Michael Turrentine as Wes, Krista D’Agostino as Hazel and Pat King as Chester.

Written by Jim McDoniel, sound design by Sarah D. Espinoza, directed by Jeffrey Nils Gardner, music composed by Stephen Poon, recording engineer Mel Ruder, Theme performed by Stephen Poon, Lauren Kelly, Gunnar Jebsen, Travis Elfers, Mel Ruder, and Betsey Palmer, Unwell lead sound designer Ryan Schile, Executives Producers Eleanor Hyde and Jeffrey Gardner, by HartLife NFP.

This episode contains:

-Jump Scares

SCENE 1.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE. MORNING.
RUDY IS HUMMING ALONG WITH VERY SOFT
HOLD MUSIC.

TECHNICIAN: Thanks for holding. Dr. Peltham?

RUDY: Yes? Hello.

DOOR TO THE KITCHEN SWINGS AND DOT
APPEARS.

DOT: Rudy? (WHISPERING) Oh sorry.

TECHNICIAN: So we took a look at the notes you sent over and...

DOT: (WHISPERING/OVER ENNUNCIATING) Pigs in a blanket.

TECHNICIAN: ...well it’s all very peculiar.

RUDY: (INTO THE PHONE) Uh-huh. (TO DOT/WHISPERING)

What?


DOT: (WHISPERING) Pancake and sausage pigs in a blanket. In or out?

RUDY: (TO DOT) With syrup, please. (INTO THE PHONE.) Sorry...uh...it

does work though?

DOT: Man after my own heart.

DOT EXITS INTO THE KITCHEN.

TECHNICIAN: It does. No one thought it would, it’s so peculiar, but we ran it
through all our simulations and...it works. There’s the issue
of cost.

RUDY: Oh.

TECHNICIAN: These are all custom jobs. The secondary mirror: a
dihectahexakaidecagonal tetrahedron? I’ve never even
heard of such a thing.

RUDY: You can make it?

TECHNICIAN: Of course we can make it, it’s just...


RUDY: Peculiar?

TECHNICIAN: Darn peculiar. We’ll have to render a full model. Cast a test
mirror and lenses. Check their specs. Make adjustments.
Build this casing which...pffffff....I don’t know if you realize
this—you were kind of...old fashioned in your choice of
terms—but the composite you want is basically space shuttle
shielding.

RUDY: (SURPRISED) I...did not realize that.

TECHNICIAN: Yeah. Normally we just go with carbon fiber. This...we’d
have to order it from a third party. We don’t make this.

RUDY: How much?

TECHNICIAN: For everything? A hundred and fifty--maybe two hundred

thousand. As an estimate.

RUDY: Oh.

TECHNICIAN: Now if we went with our standard package for a Dall-
Kirkham like yours, without all these custom parts, you’d be

looking at fifty thousand dollars, total. Maybe less.

RUDY: That is what I budgeted for. But my...collaborator says these

modifications are necessary.

TECHNICIAN: Our telescopes work just fine, all over the world without

them.

RUDY: I will...have to get back to you.

TECHNICIAN: All right. Let us know what you decide.

RUDY: Thank you for your time.

HANGS UP.

ABBIE: Collaborator?

RUDY: Abbie...I didn’t hear you.

ABBIE: Probably because you were having important financial
discussions on the landline in the middle of the foyer. You
have a cell phone. I’ve seen you use it.

RUDY: My collaborator asked to use it for a bit.

ABBIE: What collaborator?

RUDY: Just someone...with whom...I collaborate. A collaborator.

Much like the two of us.

ABBIE: Ugh. No. I hate that word. Collaborate...col-lab-o-rate.

Blegh.

RUDY: It’s a pretty apt description: persons working jointly together
or with a group, especially in an intellectual endeavor.

ABBIE: Or maybe: persons cooperating as traitors with an enemy
especially an invading or occupying force. No thanks. We
are not collaborators. We are...we’re...

RUDY: Friends?

ABBIE: (NOISE OF HESITATION)

RUDY: Too soon. I got you. How about...confederates?

ABBIE: Eew no.

RUDY: Cohorts?

ABBIE: No.

RUDY: Conspirators.

ABBIE: You’re doing this on purpose now.

RUDY: Accomplices.

ABBIE: Goodbye.

ABBIE WALKS AWAY.

RUDY: (CALLING AFTER THEM) Allies! Abettors. Partners in
crime!


THE FRONT DOOR OPENS.

ABBIE: (CALLING BACK) Tedious!

THEY SHUT THE DOOR. THE KITCHEN DOOR
SWINGS OPEN. SIZZLE OF A PAN WITH
SAUSAGES ON IT.

DOT: Was that Abbie?

RUDY: Yes.

DOT: Damn. I was going to make them a pigless blanket. Uh-oh.

RUDY: What?

DOT: That look. That one. Right there. I know that look.That’s

money trouble.

RUDY: It is?

DOT: You don’t know? Let me guess, you were a rich kid.

RUDY: No. I mean money was never a concern but the commune

eschewed all material possessions.

DOT: What about school? Your doctorate? The funding for the

observatory?

RUDY: I just sort of...go where the universe takes me and things

work out.

DOT: I get that. Who knows, maybe the universe will take you to a

big pile of money.

RUDY: Maybe.

DOT: Just remember who made you sausages when you get

there.

RUDY STARTS TO WALK AWAY.

RUDY: I need to walk.

DOT: Now? But...your pigs. Your blankets.

RUDY: Set some aside for me. I’ll reheat them when I get back.

DOT: Okay. Have a good walk.

HE LEAVES OUT THE FRONT DOOR.

I should not have made so many pancakes.

BACKDOOR OPENS.

DOT: Wes, is that you?

WES: (OFF) Yeah.

DOT: Hope you’re hungry.

END OF SCENE. TRANSITION.
SCENE 2.
EXT. MOUNT ABSALOM—DAY.

FOOTSTEPS AS RUDY WALKS THROUGH THE
TOWN. WE HEAR CARS PASS AND PEOPLE
WALKING BY. THE TINKLE OF BELLS OF DOORS
OPENING. AS HE APPROACHES THE LIBRARY,
HAZEL’S VOICE CAN BE HEARD.

HAZEL: (OFF) We need her centered among the hay bales. They
need to flank her perfectly as she majestically looks toward
the center of town.

RUDY NEARS.

HAZEL: Ivan! No. Don’t move the statue. Move the hay bales around

the statue.

HAZEL (SEES RUDY) Dr. Peltham, Hello.

RUDY: Rudy, please.

HAZEL: Well, Rudy, what do you think of our La Corte Pig diorama?

RUDY: Some pig.

HAZEL: (Gasp) What a brilliant idea. Some pig. We can celebrate our
victory over...[Ginger]...Julian and promote children’s
literature at the same time. Ivan, warm up your crochet
needles. We are going to need a lot of yarn.

RUDY CONTINUES ON. HE OPENS THE DOOR TO
THE LIBRARY AND ENTER. A BOOK CART IS
WHEELED BY. THE CART WHEELS AWAY. RUDY
WALKS OVER TO THE COMPUTERS. SITS DOWN
AND BEGINS TO PLINK AT THE KEYBOARD,
TYPING ONE LETTER AT A TIME. HE CLICKS THE
MOUSE AND CONTINUES PLINKING.
SUDDENLY...

HAZEL: Can I help you with anything?

RUDY: (STARTLED) Oh! Ms. Gibbons.

HAZEL: Hazel, please.

RUDY: Hazel, I’m fine thanks.

HAZEL: We librarians are not just here to shush people who talk and
restock books. We are resource and research specialists. If
there is anything in particular, you’re looking for...?

RUDY: No, I...I think I’m fine.

HAZEL: Ah well. You let me know if that changes.

SHE WALKS AWAY. RUDY CONTINUES TO PLUNK
HIS WAY ONTO THE COMPUTER FOR A FEW
SECONDS. THEN A SLAM! AS A LARGE VOLUME
IS DROPPED ONTO THE TABLE NEXT TO HIM.

You know I almost forgot. I found this in the historical
society’s records. (PAUSE) Looking up grant opportunities?

RUDY: Uh...yes.

HAZEL: Sorry. Librarian habit. You know, I would look into historic
building preservation rather than academic grants. More
likely to get a response.

RUDY: Thanks. Uh...the book.

HAZEL: This is a history of the Mount Absalom Observatory the
historical society made in the fifties. Part of an early

fundraising effort to restore the building. Obviously it didn’t
work but it does have some early records.

RUDY: Does it have anything about the woman who built it?

HAZEL: Woman? The observatory was built by Cornelius Deerfield in

1913.

RUDY: Sorry. I thought...I was told it was built in 1909.

HAZEL: (LAUGHS) No.

FLIPS SEVERAL PAGES.

HAZEL: Here it is. Cornelius Deerfield, Mayor Sutherland, Ann
Ogleby, heiress to Celeric Bottling fortune, and Douglas
Warren, great-grandfather of our very own Chester. You’ll
note the date at the bottom.

RUDY: 1913.

HAZEL: See.

RUDY: But the telescope. The telescope was built...

HAZEL: ...in 1913 with the rest of the observatory.

RUDY: In the Dall-Kirkham design?

HAZEL: Around here, we call it the Deerfield. If only, he had patented
it, everyone would call it that. But that was Dr. Deerfield,
brilliant astronomer, terrible record-keeper. Didn’t even keep
a journal. Can you believe that? I do think this is one of the
only records of him that exists.

RUDY: Are there any pictures of the telescope? ‘

HAZEL: Yes there is.

FLIPS A FEW PAGES.

HAZEL Um...here. It isn’t great I’m afraid. This section here was
burned but you can see the telescope clear enough. Hmmm.

You know I bet this picture was in the observatory the night
of the storm.

RUDY: Storm?

HAZEL: A few years after it was built, there was a big storm, huge.
One of those that comes once a century. The observatory
was struck by lightning. Several times. It started a huge
fire, most of the interior was destroyed or damaged. Not
many of the records and photos survived and those that did,
well, you can see. And the telescope...that beautiful
telescope was completely ruined. That’s what shut it down,
our lovely little observatory. Deerfield tried to get it up and
running again but eventually decided to move on to...

SNAPS FINGERS.

I just thought of something. Oh...I think you’re going to love
this. I need to run downstairs for...something. Wait right
here.

RUDY: Okay.

HAZEL RUNS OFF.

RUDY: (SIGH) The original telescope. 1913.

RUSTLE OF PAPER.

Wait...is that...just below the burn...Shoes. Shoes of
someone standing next to the telescope. Women’s shoes.
(CHUCKLE) Forgotten astronomy. Or astronomer. Hello
Norah. It’s a pleasure to meet you.

LIBRARY DOOR OPENS IN THE BACKGROUND.

CHESTER: (OFF) (ON HIS PHONE) Yes, I got your text. I’m here. Now
what was so urgent you couldn’t just tell me what...
(SEEING RUDY) Oh.

CELLPHONE HANGING UP. CHESTER WALKS UP.

CHESTER: Dr. Peltham?

RUDY: That’s me...uh...I’m sorry?

CHESTER: Chester Warren. Assistant to Mayor Lopez. We spoke on the

phone when you applied to run the observatory.

RUDY: Of course, Mr. Warren.

CHESTER: Chester, please.

RUDY: Only if Rudy is likewise.

CHESTER: Of course Rudy. Sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb your work but
I saw you sitting here and wanted to come over. I cannot tell
you how excited we all are about finally having the
observatory reopened. Astrotourism is a huge part of our
plan to put our little town on the map. It’s why we pushed to
achieve the dark sky community designation. And the Mount
Absalom Observatory would be another feather in our
cap...or should I say, another star in our sky.

RUDY: Well thank you...I will do my best.

CHESTER: Anyway sorry to bother you. But just know, if there’s

anything you need, anything at all...

RUDY: That’s awfully kind.

CHESTER WALKS AWAY.

RUDY: Actually...

CHESTER RETURNS.

I overheard Lily and Dot talking...you run the bank, right?

CHESTER: I manage it, yes. Civil service to our little community is my
calling, but Mount Absalom Bank and Trust pays the bills.
I’m sure you understand.

RUDY: I believe I need a loan.

CHAIR BEING PULLED UP.

CHESTER: Well I can definitely help you out there. What kind of loan are
we talking about? Car? Home? My wife was telling me just
the other day...my wife is Lou Lou Warren, the architect and
realtor. I’m sure you’ve seen the bench ad in the square.
Anyway, one of her houses just went on the market over on
Maple with a skylight and you know, I just thought...that

would be a perfect place for Dr. Peltham. I’ve got her card
here if you’re interested.

RUDY: No. Thank you but no. I’m quite happy at the Fenwood
House. I’m actually asking for the observatory.

CHESTER: The observatory? I thought...your proposal for the
stewardship committee said you would be providing your
own funds for the restoration.

RUDY: Yes. And I will be. But some...unforeseen expenses have
arisen and in order to restore the observatory telescope...

CHESTER: The Deerfield.

RUDY: Yes, well, that is a more costly endeavor than I originally

foresaw.

CHESTER: How much are we talking?

RUDY: About a hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

SIGNIFICANT PAUSE.

CHESTER: I see. Speaking unofficially, not as a representative of Mount
Absalom Bank and Trust but as a friendly ear who knows a
thing or two about financial matters, the kind of nonprofit
business loan you’re looking at is dependent on the ability to
pay it back and no offense, Dr. Peltham, Rudy, but I know
what you’re set to make as steward of the observatory.

RUDY: Well I could charge admission for visits and programs at the

observatory.

CHESTER: And that is definitely a consideration to take into account for
this kind of proposal. Do you have any kind of collateral you
could put up?

RUDY: Possibly. I mean, it’s not just mine and the DEA still hasn’t
unfrozen all assets. Though if they haven’t found anything in
twenty years, it’s probably just a formality.

CHESTER: DEA?

RUDY: Oh. My parents were members of a commune you see...

FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING.

HAZEL: I knew I had this somewhere...Oh...hello Chester. What are

you doing here?

CHESTER: Good morning Hazel. I just came over to discuss an
extension on my overdue library books and got to chatting
with Rudy here.

HAZEL: Well that is so fortunate, isn’t it Dr. Peltham?

RUDY: Rudy please...

HAZEL: Chester is just the person to sort out your little...difficulty. I’ll
just leave you to it then. But Rudy, please see me before you
leave.

RUDY: I will.

CHESTER: So a loan of this size is doable but without collateral and an
established source of income...


HAZEL: (LOUDLY CLEARS HER THROAT)

CHESTER: Something I can help you with Ms. Gibbons?

HAZEL: Sorry. Didn’t mean to eavesdrop? (LOW) But did you say

loan?

CHESTER: Rudy and I were unofficially discussing financial matters,

yes.

HAZEL: Well if it is for restoration of the observatory...
(POINTEDLY TO CHESTER) ...surely the historical
society’s heritage grant would be a BETTER option.

RUDY: The what?

CHESTER: Oh. My. Where is my head?

HAZEL: I don’t know, Chester, where is it?

CHESTER: Dr. Peltham, Rudy. I am so sorry. We’ve been going down
completely the wrong road with this. You’ve been talking to
Chester Warren, Manager of Mount Absalom Bank and Trust

when you should have been talking to Chester Warren, Vice
Chair of the Mount Absalom Historical Society. Let me
switch hats. Whooooop. Hello Dr. Peltham, it’s a pleasure to
meet you. I understand you’re looking for financial help in
restoring our observatory.

RUDY: Um...yes?

CHESTER: How wonderful. We at the Mount Absalom Historical
Society have a grant to help restore and preserve sites of
historical significance in the town. And wouldn’t you know it,
the Mount Absalom Observatory is right at the top of our
wish list along with the first celery plot and Fenwood House.

RUDY: That’s great...sorry...the boarding house is a historical site?

HAZEL: It is only the oldest continually inhabited building in all of

Ohio.

CHESTER: Not yet. Not officially. We’re still waiting on the state to

approve its status.

RUDY: I had no idea.

CHESTER: I’ll be honest with you Rudy: between the three of us, part of
the reason our heritage grant is so flush right now is that we
raised quite a bit of money a few years back to buy the
Fenwood House from Dot Harper—at a very generous price
you understand—in order to preserve it and turn it into a
museum about the town.

HAZEL: It would have been a beautiful museum.

CHESTER: But it all works out now because we have money to help with
the restoration of the observatory. You’ll need to submit a
formal proposal of course, but in a slightly safer context from
my unofficial financial advice, I think I can say you’re a shoe
in.

HAZEL: And this should help too. I found it for Dr. Garner, the last
astronomer who took interest in the observatory before she
skipped town.

PAPERS BEING SET DOWN.

Another Deerfield Telescope.

RUDY GRABS THE PAPERS.

RUDY: Another one?

HAZEL: Of course, they don’t call it a Deerfield, and it’s not as grand
as ours but it is the same design, same construction
techniques...

RUDY: Same parts. Where is it?

HAZEL: Boston. There was an old observatory on one of the
uninhabited islands out there. Abandoned for years. I think
it’s where Deerfield went to continue his work. But anyway
the Museum of Science took the telescope for study and
preservation. As far as I know they haven’t done anything
with it. Maybe they’d be willing to give it to us. Worth looking
into at the very least.

RUDY: Definitely. Thank you.

CHESTER: Between that and the heritage grant, we should have no
trouble putting the observatory back to work counting the
stars. Oh. There is just one thing.

RUDY: Yes?

CHESTER: I mean there will be lots of official legalese involved in the
actual grant. Party of the first part and all that. But the big
one I should mention up front is that preservation of the
observatory is paramount to the Mount Absalom Historical
Society Heritage Grant. We want everyone who visits to
have an authentic Mount Absalom observatory experience.
Just like they would have in 1913.

HAZEL: Only with better lighting and air conditioning.

CHESTER: We need to maintain the site just as it is. The roof, the walls,
the foundations. So we can’t say...knock down a wall or go
digging up the floor or anything like that. Don’t you agree?

RUDY: No. I want to keep everything just as it is. Well not how it is

now. How it is but...fixed.

CHESTER: Good. Well if that’s the case, go ahead and write up a
proposal and as soon as I can get it in front of Mayor Lopez,
we’ll get right to work.

RUDY STANDS UP CARRYING PAPERS WITH HIM.

RUDY: Thank you so much. I will...(To Hazel) Do you mind if I take

these?

HAZEL: By all means.

RUDY: I will get right to work on that proposal. Thank you.

RUDY WALKS TO THE DOOR.

CHESTER: I’ll walk you out.

HAZEL: Not so fast Chester. We still have to talk about those

overdue books.

RUDY EXITS THE LIBRARY. END OF SCENE.

SCENE 3.
INT. BOARDING HOUSE—A QUICK WALK/RUN
LATER.
RUDY ENTERS THE BOARDING HOUSE
THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR.

WES: (OFF) Uh...please Dot. No more pancakes.

DOT: (OFF) You’re a growing boy. You need your energy.

RUDY QUICKLY CONTINUES UPSTAIRS. HE
PASSES ABBIE.

RUDY: Abbie.

ABBIE: You look in a better mood. Did you figure out your financial

arrangement?

RUDY: As a matter of fact I did. The universe was very kind to me

this morning.

ABBIE: Which is to say a random set of events happened to end

favorable for you instead of someone else.

RUDY: If you prefer. And I hope events may be just as randomly

favorable to you. If you’ll excuse me.

HE GOES TO WALK PAST THEM.

ABBIE: Colleagues.

RUDY: I’m sorry?

ABBIE: Associates or coworkers of equal rank or status within a

profession or civil office. We are colleagues.

RUDY: Colleagues then. Soon though, we shall be comrades in
arms, standing atop the ramparts of knowledge, defending
the banner of reason and understanding...

ABBIE: I’m going to go test trees for Dutch Elm now.

ABBIE WALKS AWAY. RUDY CONTINUES TO HIS
ROOM AND SITS DOWN. HE CRANKS UP A
VINTAGE TYPWRITER AND STARTS TYPING ONE
LETTER AT A TIME.

RUDY: (AS HE TYPES) Mount Absalom Historical Society Heritage
Grant. Proposal:...(PAUSE. REALIZING.) Oh. Knocking
down walls or digging... I wonder if I should tell...? No. No.
I’m sure it’s fine. Everything will work out. (GOES BACK TO
TYPING) Proposal: To restore the Mount Absalom
Observatory to its authentic nineteen...


PAUSE. HE STOPS TYPING. AND THEN STARTS
AGAIN.

...oh nine...state.

FADE OUT ON HIM TYPING. END OF EPISODE.