All the Money in the World Page #18

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HINGE (O.S.)

Mr. Getty has decided to pay Paul's

ransom.

INT. GAIL'S APARTMENT -- DAY

Gail's eyes widen; she has to take a breath. Suddenlyeverything's changed.

GAIL:

That's -- Thank you, Mr. Hinge.

HINGE (O.S.)

Thank him. I am but a messenger.

GAIL:

I would if he'd let me.

95.

HINGE:

You'll get your chance. We'll need

you to come to Los Angeles fordiscussions.

Gail's euphoria fades ever so slightly.

GAIL:

What is there to discuss?

EXT. LOS ANGELES -- OVERHEAD -- DAY

Gail gazes through the porthole window at the grid of dirtystreets that extends unto the horizon.

STEWARDESS (O.S.)

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now

beginning our final descent.

The plane touches down with that abrupt SCREECH -

INT. GETTY OIL COMPANY, LOS ANGELES -- DAY

Gail walks down a corridor, flanked by Fletcher Chace andGiovanni Iacovoni, her attorney. We round a corner and enter -

INT. BOARD ROOM -- DAY

Getty sits at the head of the table, as he did years before.

He seems weaker following his experience on the steps of hismansion. To his left sits Oswald Hinge, and to his right -

GAIL:

Paul?

-- sits Gail's ex-husband, John Paul II. He is almost

unrecognizable:
gaunt, feeble, attended by a professionalcaregiver, a lost junkie in a borrowed suit.

GAIL (CONT'D)

Is that you, Paul?

Her ex-husband utters a listless grunt. At the head of the

table, the old man turns his lidded gaze to Fletcher Chace.

GETTY:

Mr. Chace -- ?

Chace walks to Getty's end of the table, where he takes hisplace by his employer. Gail is taken aback, betrayed.

GETTY (CONT'D)

You'll be happy to know there aresome new developments that will enableus to finally help our little Paul.

96.

GAIL:

I'm glad to hear that.

GETTY:

My tax attorneys have discoveredthat while ransom payments are notdeductible under the tax code, I can

write off the interest if I loan the

ransom money to my son.

GAIL:

You've discovered that you can takemy son's kidnapping as a tax

deduction.

(covering)

I'm glad. I'm happy it works outfinancially for you.

HINGE:

I think we can all agree that themost important thing is getting Paulhome safely. And soon.

GAIL:

Soon, yes, as soon as we can, please.

GETTY:

The loan documents are ready, andthe funds are ready to be transferred.

GAIL:

Paul will be so grateful to hisgrandpa when he gets home. He loves

you more than you know.

GETTY:

And I love him.

HINGE:

There's just the matter of the sideletter.

A lawyer slides a document across the table toward us.

HINGE (CONT'D)

In exchange for Mr. Getty's makingthe loan, you agree to sign overfull custody of all of your children,

including Paul, to your ex-husband.

GAIL:

Sign over -- ?

HINGE:

There is no provision for visitation.

(MORE)

97.

HINGE (CONT'D)

All parental rights reside with Mr.

Getty.

Gail turns to her ex-husband.

GAIL:

Are you part of this?

John Paul II doesn't answer: he stares vacantly into space.

GAIL (CONT'D)

(to Iacovoni)

They can't do this, can they?

GETTY:

My legal team is the best there is.

If it wouldn't stand up in courtthey wouldn't have written it.

(a beat)

Take your time. Sleep on it. Have

your attorney read it over.

GAIL:

I don't have time to sleep on it.

My child is being held prisoner.

GETTY:

There is that.

GAIL:

I let you have the money back then.

I didn't ask for anything but mykids. You just can't bear to leaveanything on the table, can you?

Getty doesn't answer.

CHACE:

Gail -

GAIL:

Give it to me.

An attorney slides the document toward her, along with anornate gold pen. There's a blank line for her signature.

She stares at the pen in her hand as if in a trance:

GAIL (CONT'D)

This is a beautiful pen.

GETTY:

The best.

And then, with a single stroke, Gail signs her children away.

98.

INT. GETTY OIL COMPANY -- DAY

Gail makes her way back to the elevators, trailed by Chace.

CHACE:

Gail, I swear I had no idea.

GAIL:

Call Inspector Del Rovere. Tell him

to set up the cash exchange throughCinquanta.

CHACE:

I never dreamed he'd pull this.

Gail steps into the elevator.

GAIL:

It's time for you to do whatever itis he pays you to do. Let's hopeyou're half as good as everythingelse he's bought.

The doors close and Gail is gone.

INT. BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL ROOM -- NIGHT

Gail and Chace sit on the twin beds on either side of the

phone, waiting for it to ring.

CHACE:

Look, Gail -

GAIL:

You don't need to explain. You don't

work for me, or Paul. You work for

Getty. I guess I forgot that.

CHACE:

Yeah. I forgot it too.

IACOVONI (O.S.)

We have a problem.

Giovanni Iacovoni has set up a makeshift office at a tableby the window. He rises and approaches them, agitated.

IACOVONI (CONT'D)

The contract you signed. The languageof the document. It's hidden.

(a beat)

Getty has agreed to loan his son the

ransom up to the amount that is taxdeductible.

99.

GAIL:

No.

The phone starts RINGING.

IACOVONI:

So I investigate. Under US tax code,

only the first million is deductible.

That's all they wired to us.

GAIL:

What is the ransom down to?

CHACE:

Four. Down from seventeen.

GAIL:

We don't have four. We have one.

A series of clicks as, back in Rome, the Italian Police setup the phone connection:

SQUADRA MOBILE (O.S.)

Momento per favore.

Then Cinquanta comes on the line:

CINQUANTA (O.S.)

Meno male. It's almost over.

GAIL:

What is Paul's condition?

CINQUANTA (O.S.)

He's not so good, but we can keephim alive a few days, long enough tomake the exchange.

GAIL:

We may not have all of it.

CINQUANTA (O.S.)

All of what?

GAIL:

We only have a million.

INT. PHONE BOOTH, REGGIO, CALABRIA -- INTERCUT -- NIGHT

CINQUANTA:

The number is four.

CHACE (O.S.)

One is the new number.

100.

CINQUANTAOne is one quarter of the ransom.

For this they'll send one-quarter of

your son. Tell me, which quarter doyou want?

Cinquanta pounds on the phone with his fist in frustration.

CINQUANTA (CONT'D)

You greedy animali. You're the worst

criminals of all.

CHACE:

I guess that makes you the victim,

right? Tell me, did you hold thekid down so they could cut off hisear?

CINQUANTA:

I did, yes.

(a beat)

Listen to me. I'm out now. I don't

have any money to make from this

anymore. But I don't want Paul to

die. You have to go back and getGetty to pay -

GAIL:

He can only pay for what he hasn'tgot. It's his sickness. He has to

get something for his money and Ihave nothing left to give.

CINQUANTA:

I'm begging you, Signora.

GAIL:

You're begging me?

CINQUANTAI don't want it to end like this.

They expect the money in 48 hours.

They won't believe you when you sayyou don't have it. If they don'tget every lira they'll kill him.

GAIL:

You have to get me some time here.

I'm fighting an empire.

CINQUANTAYou think you're the only one.

Cinquanta hangs up the phone and vanishes into the dark.

101.

EXT. PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY -- MALIBU -- NIGHT

Chace drives along the winding highway. Gail sits in the

passenger seat, gazing at the churning sea outside her window.

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