up. Angela steps out and heads into the building.
The driver follows her, carrying the two bouquets, pink tulips one and red roses one, and a brown leather overnight bag.
INT. ANGELA’S HOUSE/7TH FLOOR (MOSCOW) – DAY
Angela comes to the door with the “7B” set in brass in the wood panelling and rings the DOORBELL.
The lock CLICKS and the door opens.
MARIA ALEKSEEVNA, a stern looking woman, aged 60, in horn-rimmed old-fashioned spectacles, wearing a red apron, streaked with flour, over the dark blue woollen dress, opens the door.
Angela glances at the apron and smiles.
ANGELA
Zdrastvuite, Maria Alekseevna.
Maria Alekseevna brushes the flour streaks off her apron.
MARIA ALEKSEEVNA (CONT’D)
Zdravstvui, Angela. Welcome back.
INT. ANGELA’S FLAT/HALLWAY (MOSCOW) – DAY
Angela heads along the hallway into one of the rooms.
The driver hands the two bouquets and the overnight bag to Maria Alekseevna and leaves.
EXT. ANGELA’S HOUSE/sTAIRS (MOSCOW) – DAY – LATER
MacBride and Pavel walk up the stairs, heading into the building.
INT. ANGELA’S HOUSE/7TH FLOOR (MOSCOW) – DAY
At the door to the flat “7B”, MacBride and Pavel share a hesitant look. Pavel brings his head to the door and listens then nods to MacBride. MacBride takes the key out and slides it into the lock. It CLICKS.
The door opens.
INT. ANGELA’S FLAT/HALLWAY (MOSCOW) – DAY
Silhouetted in the doorframe, Maria Alekseevna, hands on hips, stands.
MARIA ALEKSEEVNA
Who the hell are you?
MACBRIDE
I… we’re friends of Angela.
Blocking the way, Maria Alekseevna looks MacBride and Pavel over.
MARIA ALEKSEEVNA (CONT’D)
I see.
MacBride turns to Pavel.
MACBRIDE (CONT’D)
Pavel, tell her!
INT. ANGELA’S FLAT/LIVING ROOM (MOSCOW) – DAY
Sunshine streams in through the large windows, playing on the rows of book spines in the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
In the middle of the room, facing the windows, a French style sofa, upholstered in linen, stands. On a glass coffee table, a vase with pink tulips is placed.
Angela sits on the sofa, looking at the screen of her laptop. On the screen stock exchange graphs and figures are displayed.
Maria Alekseevna opens the door and peers in.
MARIA ALEKSEEVNA
There are two men here for you.
ANGELA
(keeping her eyes on the laptop screen)
Which men?
MARIA ALEKSEEVNA
They say they’re your friends.
Angela looks up at Maria Alekseevna, holds her gaze for a second then shuts her laptop.
ANGELA (CONT’D)
Show them in, please.
INTERCUT
Maria Alekseevna grabs MacBride and Pavel by their arms. MacBride tries to twist his arm out of her grasp.
MACBRIDE
Let me alone, woman!
Tightening her grip, Maria Alekseevna drags MacBride and Pavel along the hallway towards the living room.
MACBRIDE (CONT’D)
Pavel, tell her it’s a mistake!
PAVEL
Take it easy, man.
Maria Alekseevna pushes MacBride and Pavel into —
THE LIVING ROOM
Angela rises from the sofa.
Engulfed in silence, MacBride and Pavel stare at her.
Maria Alekseevna heads into the adjacent room and returns with a bottle of Russian Standard vodka and three goblets. She puts them onto the coffee table by the sofa.
Angela pours vodka into the goblets and hands them to MacBride and Pavel. They hesitate.
ANGELA
Please, MacBride and… I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.
PAVEL
Pavel Nekrassov.
ANGELA
Delighted to meet you, Pavel.
PAVEL
Likewise.
Pavel takes the goblets, passing one to MacBride.
An awkward SILENCE lingers around them.
Angela sits down on the sofa. MacBride and Pavel follow her.
Seated, MacBride and Pavel look down at the floor. Angela looks at them.
ANGELA (CONT’D)
(to MacBride)
What are you doing here?
MACBRIDE
I don’t really know.
ANGELA
What do you mean?
MacBride looks into his goblet.
MACBRIDE (CONT’D)
You see…
Fiddling with the goblet, MacBride glances up at Pavel then at Angela.
MACBRIDE (CONT’D)
Well, I was supposed to meet you at the Ritz, but instead I met an elderly man there.
ANGELA
What elderly man?
MACBRIDE
The rather suave looking bloke. He gave me a note from you.
ANGELA
I haven’t written any notes to you.
MACBRIDE
He said it was from you.
Reaching for the bottle, MacBride refills his goblet and takes a swig.
ANGELA (CONT’D)
What was in the note?
MacBride pulls the note out and hands it to Angela.
ANGELA (CONT’D)
(reading the note)
What’s the name of the elderly suave man, you say?
MACBRIDE
Jack. No. Jacques. Yeah, Jacques.
Angela gives the note back to MacBride.
ANGELA (CONT’D)
Never heard of him.
MACBRIDE
Are