02x11 - The Ghost Writer Part 1

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Ghostwriter". Aired: November 1, 2019 –; present.*
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A ghost haunts a neighborhood bookstore and starts releasing fictional characters into the real world; four kids must team up to solve an exciting mystery surrounding the ghost's unfinished business.
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02x11 - The Ghost Writer Part 1

Post by bunniefuu »

[DONNA] Chapter 8. May 15th, 1955.

[DONNA] Would you believe it

was a night of a million stars,

but no one was looking at the sky.

The stars we all wanted

to see were inside.

[DONNA] Everyone who was anyone

in town was at the opening.

They all wanted to get a glimpse

of the museum's latest acquisition.

[DONNA] The Cobalt Mask.

You see that character over there?

He hired me to find his missing brother.

Turns out his brother wasn't missing.

He was just hiding from

his family. [LAUGHS]

Enjoying the Cobalt Mask, Owen?

Oh, she's a beaut.

I know a couple of buyers who

would pay a small fortune for it.

Too bad the museum's not selling.

Mm. A girl can dream, can't she?

Who's that?

Genevieve Marcus.

Owns half of downtown, has her

eyes set on the other half.

She's smart. Just don't

get on her bad side.

Are you on her bad side?

Well, it depends on the

day, but lately yeah.

Jimmy, you're out?

Oh, yeah. Last month.

Out?

The hoosegow. Prison.

I figured out Jimmy was

behind a rash of burglaries.

I turned the evidence over to police

and they put him behind bars.

So I'm guessing you're

also on his bad side.

Comes with the territory, Ben.

Owen?

Pleasure as always.

If it isn't the belle of the ball.

You're looking spiffy there, Sarge.

Nice shindig. Light on the food.

What, you didn't try any

of that delicious shrimp?

You must've been late,

like your police work.

Witty as ever. Have a nice night.

- Are you also on

- Don't say it.

I'm just sensing a pattern.

Be right back, wise guy.

[DONNA] Ben took in the room.

He drank it up like it was fruit punch.

It was always a treat when his

uncle took him out on the town.

Though he was young,

Ben knew that when he grew up he

wanted to be a private investigator,

just like his hero, Owen Quinn.

Whoa.

- [DONNA] Suddenly there was a crash!

- [CRASHING]

It sounded like a thousand tin

cans hitting the floor at once.

The guests hurried over to watch

as the guards scrambled to

upright the scattered armor.

- Gentlemen, please.

- [FEMALE GUEST] Look! The mask!

[WOMAN GASPS]

"The next day, the museum hired

Owen to find the Cobalt Mask.

And he promised he would

have the case cracked

by the end of the week."

That's it.

She just stopped writing

after that sentence.

Well, G.W., you left us a

pretty good cliff-hanger.

- That we have to solve.

- Okay, then. What do we know?

The story follows Ben,

who is around our age,

as he tags along with

his uncle, Owen Quinn.

The famed private investigator

who is the main character

of all Mason Briggs' books.

And who was at the end of

a Kwame Alexander poem.

Also, I think I remember

reading that Ben

and his friends are amateur detectives.

Yeah, here.

"Ben asked his mom to pack extra snacks.

Mystery club will run long

and it will be hard to solve the case

of the missing cocker spaniel

on an empty stomach."

Call it a long sh*t, but I think

I know why we were chosen.

These kids kinda sound like us.

You're right, they do.

We did meet Sarah in 1955 when we

all time traveled to the bookstore.

Maybe we inspired her.

I would say no way, but then again

we talk to book characters, so

anything's possible.

[SIGHS]

So, is there anyone in the book like me?

"Doris with her light brown

hair and playful curls."

Me.

"Was bouncing off the wall with ideas."

Me.

"Her saddle shoes squeaked

across the waxed floor."

- I love saddle shoes. Yep, it's me.

- [RUBEN SIGHS]

Think about it.

Ben, Ruben. Yvonne, Chevon.

Charles, Curtis.

Doris, Donna. It can't be a coincidence.

Uh, I think G.W. agrees.

This is getting interesting.

Usually, characters

come out of the book,

but nothing's happening.

I think G.W.'s trying to

tell us to do something.

Maybe she wants us to touch it.

Good idea.

Okay.

On three. One, two, three.

[SIGHS]

What just happened?

No clue.

How did we get here?

No one has the time

traveling compass, right?

No, that went back in the Time

Castaways with Captain Vincent.

Wait.

Roller skates

model airplanes.

This looks a lot like Sarah's

description of Ben's room.

We didn't time travel.

We went into the book.

So, instead of book

characters coming to life,

we became book characters?

I think so.

Does that mean we're invisible

like characters are when

they come into our world?

[WOMAN] Ben!

That must be Ben's mom.

Let's go.

Hi, kids. How about some cookies?

They just came out of the oven.

It's just a cookie. Go ahead.

Thanks, Mom.

Well, have fun with mystery

club. [CHUCKLES]

Okay. So I guess people in

the book world can see us.

But why did G.W. bring us here?

Aren't we supposed to

be writing the book?

Maybe we need to be in the book

to figure out what the story is.

Exactly. If we experience it firsthand,

then we can write down

everything that happens.

So, what should we do?

Look.

[RUBEN] That must be Owen.

If Ben and his friends are gonna

help Owen solve the mystery,

they're gonna need to talk to Owen.

And we've read enough Mason Briggs

books to know where to look.

Let's go.

We need a plan for what

we're gonna tell Owen.

Remember: not what we would say,

what Ben and his friends would say.

Good point.

Okay, well, Ben and

his uncle seem close.

Wouldn't he just ask what's going

on with the mask and offer to help?

Definitely. Let's start there.

Hey, kids. What's cooking? Come on in.

[OWEN] So there I was

in the back alley of this old jazz club.

I was completely boxed in.

The g*ons were approaching.

'Course they hadn't planned

on the old Owen Quinn-genuity.

You see, I had planted two of my

associates inside the dumpster

and before they knew it

the tables were turned in a jiffy.

And they went upstate

for five to ten. [LAUGHS]

Whoa! Sweet.

Ah! Enough about me.

What's new with you kids?

Working any new cases with

your mystery club at school?

Um, no. Business is slow, unlike you.

Tell us about the Cobalt Mask.

We know it was stolen the night you

and Ben went to the museum gala,

and the museum hired you to get it back.

Ah, yes. This is a very puzzling case.

At first, I thought it

was an inside job.

The museum curator had

access to the mask all night.

So, she took it?

[OWEN] I don't think so.

See, the curator had an alibi.

She was nowhere near the

mask when it was taken.

Do you have any other leads?

Oh, there's always another lead

even if I haven't found it yet.

The key to detective work is

persistence. Never give up.

Which reminds me,

I better get out of here.

Come on, Uncle Owen. We wanna help.

Oh, this is a high profile case, kids.

Best if I go at this one solo.

Next time. I like your moxie though.

You kids have character.

See you around.

We're back.

Why'd we get pulled back out so fast?

Things were just starting to get good.

I don't know. He was leaving the office.

It kind of seemed like the

end of a chapter, didn't it?

Maybe when the chapter's done,

G.W. brings us out of the book so

we can write down what happened.

Let's do it then, before

we forget all the details.

Wait, we should use the typewriter

from Albert's storage locker.

That'll take twice as long.

No, Chevon's right.

It has to look like a

Mason Briggs manuscript

that was written years ago

in order to get published.

[SIGHS] There it is.

[AMY] Ruben!

Hi. Um, can you come downstairs?

We could really use a few extra

pairs of hands moving books.

Um, can we do it in a little bit?

We're kind of in the middle

of something right now.

What you doing?

Uh, we are in the middle

of a writing assignment.

All of you?

Mm, yeah. It's more fun that way.

But Donna's not in your grade.

She's just helping.

You know, 'cause I'm advanced.

I see.

Well, uh, it won't take long, I promise.

And we really need the help, so

And if we move everything off this wall,

I'll be able to open it up to get

wiring in for the new lights.

As long as I'm not the one

carrying the heavy coffee-table

books, fine with me.

Well, that's what we got

all this muscle here for.

They're gonna help us

move all these upstairs.

Define "all."

Come on. It'll be like you're on

one of those home reno shows.

So, we can all knock down

a wall like on Room Renos?

No, not quite.

I love those shows.

They renovate houses

in, like, 20 minutes.

I think this might take a

lot longer than 20 minutes.

- Start with these.

- [SIGHS]

Okay, this is heavy. [CLEARS THROAT]

- They don't show you that on TV.

- No, they don't.

There's a few more boxes downstairs.

Yeah, feel free to help us.

I'm setting up the typewriter

so we can write.

It's harder than it looks.

What's this?

Think that's a typewriter ribbon.

How do you change it?

Let's hope we don't

have to deal with it.

[SIGHS]

I think we're ready.

Suddenly, I'm nervous.

I mean, how are we supposed

to finish writing a novel?

The longest thing I've written

is a five-page history paper.

Not just any novel.

A Mason Briggs novel.

They're classics.

You're not helping, Curtis.

Wait. Don't you get it?

Sarah picked us for a reason.

She's been preparing us for this moment.

Look, all of the books she chose

and all the characters

who have come to life,

they've taught us everything we

need to know about good writing.

Foreshadowing.

Descriptive language,

setting, suspense.

It's all here.

Okay, then.

We came in the story in Ben's room.

Let's start the chapter there.

[TYPING]

"The kids stood

in Ben's room."

Anything else?

Maybe add, "thinking about what to do."

"Thinking about what to do."

Or not.

I think we need to describe

what we saw in more detail.

Mm, listen to this,

"Underneath the hazy clouds,

Owen sauntered to the museum,

Ben following in tow."

Wow. The way that sounded I

can almost picture being there.

It's kind of like Kwame

Alexander's poetry

when he used imagery and

descriptive language.

What about something like this?

"The room was a mess

with a heap of Ben's

clothes lying on the floor."

"And a half-built model

airplane on the desk."

- "But cleaning could wait."

- [TYPING]

"Ben and his friends needed to

go pay his Uncle Owen a visit."

[TYPING]

And then Owen says,

"What's cooking, kids?"

[CHUCKLES]

[TYPING]

[NO AUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

[TYPING]

- "Owen said the kids were too young

- [TYPING]

to come along."

"And then

[TYPING]

like a shadow

he was gone."

That sounds great.

We totally captured Owen's voice.

Cool and confident.

No wonder Ben looks up to him.

I wish I had an uncle like that.

And that fedora? So awesome.

We did it. One chapter down.

It's getting late.

Maybe we should all get some sleep.

Yeah. Let's start fresh tomorrow.

I wanna read more Mason Briggs tonight.

I have a copy of A Touch

of Malice on audiobook.

It's pretty good.

We'll see you tomorrow.

[GRANDPA] Hey, Ruben.

Your friends are here.

Hmm, 8:00 a.m.

You do know it's Saturday, right?

Aw, you guys came along to

help your dad. That's so sweet.

Yeah, right. We are here to help.

Tess would be so proud seeing

you all pitching in so much.

The store really is gonna look great.

I think George is starting

on the ceiling today.

You don't need any more

books moved, right?

- No, it's all done.

- [SIGHS]

But the, uh, bookcases need

to be out of the room.

With four pairs of arms,

- it'll be done in no time.

- [GIGGLES]

Who knew empty bookcases were so heavy?

I know, but my mom and Grandpa

really appreciate the help,

and they gave us more time to

think about what to do next.

Come on.

I have an idea.

Last night, when I was listening

to A Touch of Malice,

Owen kept going to the diner.

Maybe Ben and his g*ng

should also go there too.

Great idea. The diner was also in

the book I was reading last night.

It seems like the place where

everyone in town hangs out.

You think it'll be as

cool as the first time?

Let's see.

[RUBEN SIGHS]

It's so cool.

Oh. This food is so amazing.

Didn't you eat breakfast this morning?

Yeah, but book eggs taste way better.

It's exactly the way Sarah

described it in the book.

See, there's Owen's

favorite waitress, Mimi.

[OWEN] Hi, Mimi.

Cuppa joe, please.

Well, well, well. Should've

known I'd find you here.

Their shakes are hard to b*at, huh?

Hey, Uncle Owen. Any new

leads on the stolen mask?

Well, I was looking into

the director of the museum.

I'd heard attendance was low,

so I thought maybe she stole the

mask for the insurance money.

Smart.

I thought so. Didn't pan out though.

Are you worried you won't

be able to solve it?

I have never met a case I cannot cr*ck.

Remember, the key to

this game: persistence.

I'll solve it. Don't worry about it.

[SERGEANT BELSON] Kids.

Oh, hello, Doris. Nice to see you.

Jean tells me you two are

getting together later.

Oh, right.

Yeah, of course. Um, yes.

We will be getting together

soon. I'm so excited.

Owen. I see you're working hard as ever.

[OWEN] Just enjoying a cuppa

with my nephew and his pals here.

Sorry to cut that short,

but I need you to come down

to the station with me.

I have a few questions.

- I'm not a suspect, am I?

- Should you be?

No. And what if I refuse

to come with you?

I wouldn't advise it.

Keep your shirt on, Belson.

I'm happy to come answer your questions.

Let me just finish my coffee first.

I'll be waiting outside.

So, what was that about?

Nah, he's always giving me a hard time.

Nothing to worry about.

Best take care of it though.

No one likes a cranky sarge.

My coffee and

your milkshakes are on me.

Where were you when the mask was stolen?

I was enjoying hors d'oeuvres

with my nephew.

You were there, Belson.

I was, but I seem to recall

that you excused yourself

just before the suit of armor

crashed to the ground.

You saying I ducked

out to steal the mask?

Why exactly would I do that?

You tell me.

- What about Genevieve Marcus?

- What about her?

My sources tell me you still

owe her a lot of money

and she's getting impatient.

Maybe you hand her the Cobalt

Mask and she calls it even.

I hate to poke holes in

your theory, Belson,

but I'm a private investigator.

I find things, I don't steal them.

You live large, Quinn.

You owe a lot of money and

you're desperate to pay it back.

Desperate people do desperate things.

Yeah. Look who's acting desperate now.

You got a little coffee on your tie.

- [CHUCKLES]

- [SIGHS]

Belson's making this up, right?

There's no way what he was

saying about Owen can be true.

That doesn't seem like Owen.

Unless what if he has a secret?

- What do you mean?

- Remember with Raine

when we saw all the secrets your

grandma had in the sparkles?

Like being arrested.

Good point. But still,

I just don't believe it.

Exactly. That's what

makes it good writing.

You need to have surprises

and twists and turns.

Let's get this down.

"Sergeant Belson was the one

who was looking for answers,

but it was the kids who found something.

Owen owed Genevieve money.

What other secrets did he have?"

This is getting interesting.

What's next?

- A break. I could use a snack.

- Yeah, me too.

Good idea. A break will

help us clear our heads.

The books are totally cleaned out.

This room looks so much bigger empty.

That's where we all first met.

The juice spill, remember?

How could we forget?

[DONNA] "Hello."

It feels like forever ago.

[CHEVON] Yeah.

So much has changed.

We've written a lot so far.

I bet Sarah's really proud of us.

And if she wasn't, we'd hear about it.

[CHUCKLES] Okay, where to next?

Well, Belson just made a bunch

of accusations against Owen.

Maybe we can ask him about that.

Great idea. Let's go back

to the police station.

Uncle Owen.

Were you eavesdropping on me?

Why was Sergeant Belson accusing

you of stealing the Cobalt Mask?

Oh, Belson's always had it in for me

because I've solved

half his cases for him.

If the cases get solved,

why does he care?

Makes him look sloppy

in front of the mayor.

Especially since he wants

to be the police chief.

And what about the money?

He said you owe Genevieve Marcus money.

First rule of detective work, Ben:

don't believe everything you hear.

Belson's grasping at straws.

Now if you'll excuse me,

I got a case to solve.

I believe Owen. It does seem

like Belson has it in for him.

But why would Belson hate him so much?

There must be something

else we're missing.

Hey, you there?

- Afternoon, Miss Belson.

- Hello, Officer.

If that's who I think

it is, I have an idea.

So, uh, the Hula-Hoop

contest is next weekend.

My record right now is 45 minutes,

but I think I can b*at it if I practice.

Oh, well, 45 minutes is a really

long time, so I'm sure you'll win.

[CHUCKLES]

Are those your friends?

Why are they staring at us?

Uh, well, I think they

want us to join them.

Uh, no.

You sure? They're really nice.

I'm not supposed to hang around Ben.

Maybe you shouldn't either.

[CHUCKLES] Why?

My dad doesn't like him or

like his uncle, at least.

He thinks Owen Quinn

stole the Cobalt Mask.

I overheard my dad on the phone

last night talking to the mayor.

He's getting a warrant

to search Owen's office.

Oh.

[DONNA] Um

I really think they want

me to eat with them.

Don't wanna be rude.

Oh, yeah, that's fine. I've got to

get to piano lessons anyways.

See ya.

Major news. The sergeant is

gonna search Owen's office.

- We have to warn him.

- Come on.

Whoa, whoa. Time. Put the brakes

on. What are you all doing here?

Sergeant Belson's gonna

search your office.

Well, it's about time he did

some actual police work.

Aren't you worried?

'Course not. I'm an open book.

I've got nothing to hide.

Are you going to do anything about it?

As a matter of fact, I am.

I am going downstairs

and I'm getting myself a cup of coffee.

And I tell you what, I'm gonna

get Belson a cup of coffee too.

That'll really get his goat. [LAUGHS]

And I'll get you kids some

juice. You look pooped.

That guy is definitely smooth.

Nothing rattles him.

[RUBEN] Hey, check this out.

"To Owen, from Jackie Robinson."

- He really does know everyone.

- Yeah.

Here, catch.

Dude.

Look! It's a secret compartment

like in Sarah's office.

It's the Cobalt Mask.

I don't believe it.

[SIREN BLARING]

- Sergeant Belson is here.

- All right, we've

- Wait. Wait.

- Wha

- Uncle Owen, come back!

- They're coming up the steps!

- What are we supposed to do?

- Run!

Wha

No!

- No! The ruby! Where'd it go?

- Doris! We have to go. Come on!

[CHUCKLES]

The mask was in Owen's office all along?

Did he know it was there?

How else would the mask get

into a secret compartment?

And if he didn't put it there,

then why was he running away?

Innocent people don't run.
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