Affliction Page #11

CUT TO:

INT. LARIVIERE'S OFFICE - DAY

Wade's theory expanded: Jack and Gordon argue in the office.

An extension of Scene 55. Like Wade's other theories, in

black-and-white:

LARIVIERE:

He's on to us!

JACK:

Sh*t! What are we gonna do?

LARIVIERE:

Maybe I can buy him off. I gotta

talk to Mel.

JACK:

You can't buy Wade off.

LARIVIERE:

We bought you.

JACK:

That was me.

CUT TO:

EXT. ALMA PITTMAN'S HOUSE - DAY

Wade drives Margie's car toward LaRiviere's. In his rear

view window he spots Chick Ward driving Chub Merritt's tow

truck, lights blinking, pulling LaRiviere's pickup like a

dead fish.

He pulls over, lets it pass. He's parked in front of Alma

Pittman's house. A sign on the lawn reads, "Alma Pittman,

Town Clerk."

He looks at the house, decides to go in. Wade walks up the

shoveled steps, knocks on the door. ALMA, 60, wearing plaid

shirt and slacks, greets him with a smile:

ALMA:

Wade! Come in! Have a cup of coffee.

CUT TO:

INT. ALMA PITTMAN'S HOUSE - DAY

They step into Alma's living room/office. She's been keeping

the town secrets for as long as anyone can remember.

WADE:

You got yourself a computer, Alma.

ALMA:

Been putting my files into it. You

take sugar and milk?

WADE:

No. Black.

They sit by her desk at the bay window. She studies him.

ALMA:

Are you alright, Wade?

WADE:

Yeah, sure. Why? I got this damned

tooth, I got a few things bugging

me, like everybody else. But I'm

okay.

ALMA:

Well, you look... sad. Upset. I don't

mean to pry. I'm sorry about your

mother. It was a nice funeral.

WADE:

Alma, I think there's some dirty

business going on in this town.

ALMA:

Always has been.

WADE:

This is maybe worse than you and I

are used to.

(beat)

What I'm talking about, I'm talking

about murder. Among other things.

ALMA:

Who?

WADE:

Evan Twombley, the union boss who

got shot. Somebody murdered him.

ALMA:

Who?

WADE:

You know Jack Hewitt, the kid I work

with?

CUT TO:

EXT. MERRITT'S STATION - DAY

Gordon LaRiviere examines his damaged pickup outside the

Shell station.

CUT TO:

INT. ALMA PITTMAN'S HOUSE - DAY

Wade finishes:

WADE:

...if Jack told the truth, he could

be free by the time he's my age.

ALMA:

Sometimes things are simpler than

you think. Let me ask you a question.

WADE:

You don't believe me?

ALMA:

(crosses to her desk)

About Jack? No. Have you checked out

the tax bill on your father's farm

lately?

WADE:

I know he's due for the last two

years. I was thinking of paying it

when the insurance comes in.

ALMA:

Has anybody offered to buy it?

WADE:

As a mater of fact, yes. LaRiviere.

Alma punches her computer. Dozens of items flash up.

ALMA:

This is all the real estate

transactions in this town the last

year. Most of it unused land. Most

of it for little more than the back

taxes owed.

She punches again: only three items.

ALMA:

This is from three years ago. Some

difference, huh?

WADE:

(looking)

What is the Northcountry Development

Association?

ALMA:

I went down to Concord to check it

out. The president is Mel Gordon.

The vice-president and treasurer is

Gordon LaRiviere. Those boys are

buying up the mountain, Wade. $364,000

this year. I believe that's out of

LaRiviere's league.

WADE:

Twombley involved?

ALMA:

No.

WADE:

He musta found out. They had to get

rid of him. And Jack'll get blamed.

ALMA:

All the figures show is that Gordon

LaRiviere is going to be a very rich

man using his position as Selectman.

In a year or two, you won't recognize

this town.

CUT TO:

INT. LARIVIERE'S OFFICE - DAY

Wade storms in, shouting. Jack and Jimmy choose donuts by

the file cabinet. LaRiviere's behind his desk. Wade's tooth

makes it hard for him to talk without pain:

WADE:

You sneaky sonofabitch! I've got

your number now, Gordon! All these

years I actually thought you were a

decent man.

(pounds fists on desk)

Can you believe that?

Jack, combative, looks at Wade. Gordon stands before Jack

can speak:

LARIVIERE:

Wade, you're done.

(extends hand)

Let me have the shop keys.

WADE:

(to Jack and Jimmy)

You two, don't you get it? He's using

you. You're his slaves.

(soft)

Jesus Christ, Jack, don't you see

that?

LARIVIERE:

The key, Wade.

WADE:

Yeah, you can have the key. It's the

key that's kept me locked to you all

these years. I give it to you with

pleasure.

(passes key)

Now I'm free. See how easy it is,

Jack? All you got to do is give back

what the man gave you, and you're

free of him.

(turns to leave)

I've got to call my brother.

Wade's phone conversation plays OVER as he goes to Margie's

car.

WADE (O.S.)

I know what it means. I'm just running

out of ways to use it.

ROLFE (O.S.)

For what?

CUT TO:

EXT. ROUTE 29/MERRITT'S - DAY

Phone conversation continues as Wade drives to Merritt's

Shell station.

WADE (O.S.)

To help, Jack, of course -- and to

nail those sonsofbitches, the Two

Gordons. That's what Alma calls them.

Jesus, Rolfe, whose side are you on?

ROLFE (O.S.)

Take care of the little things first,

the things that are distracting you

from taking care of the big things.

Call Chub Merritt, get your car back,

call a dentist, for God's sake, and

get your tooth pulled, don't trust

the locals, get your facts straight

and go straight to the state police.

Let them work on this.

CHICK WARD, 30, Chub Merritt's mechanic, greets Wade outside

the station. We join their conversation:

CHICK:

The good news is we haven't got to

your car yet. The bad news --

WADE:

Just tell me when you'll have it

fixed.

CHICK:

-- the bad news is there's a problem

with Gordon's truck what somebody

drove through the ice last night.

Figured you'd know something about

that, Wade.

WADE:

(beat)

Yeah. I know about that.

CHICK:

LaRiviere says he ain't gonna pay

for the fixin' of your car. A couple

hundred for the clutch. I got some

more bad news. Wanna hear it?

WADE:

Tell me.

CHICK:

Chub says you're fired.

WADE:

He can't fire me. LaRiviere already

did that this morning.

CHICK:

He's a Selectman. The town. He said

to tell you to turn your badge in

and clean out your office. I'm

supposed to pull the CB and police

light out of your car. They're town

property.

CUT TO:

INT. WHITEHOUSE FARM - DAY

Wade, open phone book in hand, walks back and forth speaking

into the receiver. Margie looks up from the KITCHEN table,

an old newspaper in front of her.

WADE:

What do you mean, you can't take me

today? I told you --

The other party has hung up. Margie stands, upset. Wade slams

the phone down.

MARGIE:

What on earth is happening to you?

Why are you acting this way?

WADE:

It's my tooth! My f***ing tooth! I

can't even think anymore because of

it.

MARGIE:

I heard you talking. You got fired

this morning, didn't you?

WADE:

Look, that's temporary, believe me.

There's so much sh*t gonna hit the

fan the next few days, my getting

fired by LaRiviere and Merritt won't

matter a bit.

Pop enters from outside with firewood, passes.

WADE:

I'll get another job. People are

going to need me. After this is over,

they'll make me into a Goddamned

hero. You wait:
you'll see, I'll

deliver. I'll be the best father who

ever lived. You need me, even Pop,

for Christ's sake, he needs me. This

town needs me. Maybe now they think

they can send me howling into a corner

like a kicked dog, but my God, it'll

be different soon.

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