Angel Eyes Page #10

SANDERMAN:

Sharon...

SHARON:

(typing)

Lieutenant...

We can see the computer screen now. Sharon is searching

for any prior record of "Catch Lambert" --arrests,

convictions. She has several "Carl Lamberts" on the

screen, even a "Casper," no Catch.

SANDERMAN:

Anything bothering you?

SHARON:

Why? What’d I do?

SANDERMAN:

Nothing. I’m talking about your

general attitude lately.

Sharon stops typing. She can find nothing. She clears

the screen, sighs.

SHARON:

My attitude’s fine. End of a long

day. I’m tired.

SANDERMAN:

Family matters getting to you?

(CONTINUED)

55.

CONTINUED:

SHARON:

Family?!

SANDERMAN:

Your brother, Larry...

SHARON:

What about Larry?

SANDERMAN:

You know Nester --on the Culver

City P.D.? He went out on a

violent domestic dispute

yesterday. A neighbor called it

in. It got a little ugly. No

arrest --a warning.

This hits her hard.

SHARON:

Larry. Oh Christ.

SANDERMAN:

Nester said it’s not the first

time.

Sharon is quiet a while, taking it in, shaken by it.

SHARON:

Thanks for telling me.

EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET (CULVER CITY) -DAY (NEXT MORNING)

Sharon, not in uniform, is approaching Larry’s house. It

has a small yard with kids’ toys strewn about and a tire-

swing. She walks up on the porch and RINGS the DOORBELL.

She hears VOICES inside, LARRY AND KATHY, a quick

murmuring, low-voice argument, can’t make out the words.

In a moment, Larry opens the door.

LARRY:

Jesus, you’re up early.

SHARON:

I wanted to catch you before you

went to work.

LARRY:

I thought you were on late shifts.

SHARON:

I don’t sleep much. Can I come

in?

56.

INT. LARRY’S HOME -LIVING ROOM -DAY

The place is messy. A TV can be heard --CARTOONS.

LARRY:

What’s up?

SHARON:

Where’s Kath?

LARRY:

She’s busy with Larry Jr. right

now.

Sharon nods, but then walks past him.

INT. CHILD’S ROOM -DAY

As Sharon walks into this toy-strewn room. Larry Jr. is

sitting on the floor, watching a small TV. Kathy is not

with him. Sharon kneels beside the boy a moment.

SHARON:

Hey, Champ.

But he stays focused on the TV, some darkness, some

unsayable worry in his eyes. She picks up a toy car,

speaks softly.

SHARON:

Y’know, they call this one a woody

’cause it has wood on the sides.

LARRY JR.

I know.

Now he looks at her with sad and bottomless eyes. She is

hurting for him. Larry is now in the doorway. Sharon

kisses the child’s head and walks out, passing her

brother.

LARRY:

Why’d you come by?

SHARON:

To see Kathy.

INT. HALLWAY

As Sharon heads for the master bedroom, Larry takes her

arm.

LARRY:

She’s not feeling good.

(CONTINUED)

57.

CONTINUED:

Sharon pulls away from her brother.

SHARON:

I’ll just say hello.

INT. BEDROOM -DAY

Sharon walks in. Kathy is sitting on the bed, her face

badly bruised. They stare. Kathy speaks quietly, her

eyes filling.

KATHY:

Don’t make it worse.

SHARON:

It gets worse?

KATHY:

He’s okay now. He’s torn up about

it. Don’t make him mad.

Sharon moves closer. She reaches out, touches Kathy with

a comforting touch as the woman turns her bruised face

away.

SHARON:

When Larry and I were growing up,

our mother said that all the time.

’Don’t make your father mad.’

(pause)

Has he hit Larry Jr. yet?

KATHY:

He never would.

SHARON:

Oh. Just you, huh?

Larry is in the doorway now, angry.

LARRY:

What d’you think you’re doing in

my house, Shar? In my home.

She walks out of the room and he follows her.

INT. LIVING ROOM -DAY

She turns on him.

SHARON:

You see a pattern here, bro?

(CONTINUED)

58.

CONTINUED:

LARRY:

I lost my temper. Things got out

of hand. It won’t...

SHARON:

People always say that: ’I’ve got

a temper.’ Like it’s an excuse.

LARRY:

I don’t need a goddamn lecture.

She comes very close to him.

SHARON:

You want to hit someone? Next

time your ’temper’ flares up, Lar,

and you just have to hit somebody,

you go home and hit your father.

LARRY:

You blame everything on him.

SHARON:

I’m blaming you, you f***ing

coward.

He grabs her shirt hard.

LARRY:

You don’t come in here...

He pushes her into the wall.

LARRY:

You don’t come in here and call me

names.

SHARON:

What do you call a man who uses

his wife as a punching bag?

(pause)

Coward.

He swings a slap at her. She blocks it and punches him

hard in the face, and he crashes down on the floor.

Kathy comes running, calling out...

KATHY:

Don’t hurt her, Lar...!

(CONTINUED)

59.

CONTINUED:

Kathy sees that it’s Larry on his ass. The little boy

comes out of his room. There is a surprised moment.

Then Kathy picks up the child and takes him back to his

room. Larry is sitting up, shaken, his nose bleeding.

Sharon goes close to him, rigid with fury.

SHARON:

I know how it feels, ’cause I

remember. I remember standing

between you and Dad and taking the

blows for you --and for what?!

You turned out to be just like

him, you bastard.

(pause)

And so did I.

And she leaves the house and SLAMS the DOOR.

INT. SHARON’S APARTMENT -NIGHT

She is just returning home after her shift, very tired,

drained. She absently turns ON the TV, the STEREO. She

notices a blinking light on her MESSAGE MACHINE and hits

the button.

LARRY (V.O.)

I bet you feel real proud of

yourself, Shar, knocking me down

in front of my family. You know

what I’ve got in my hand? I’ve

got a Polaroid picture of my

busted-up face, and I’m thinking

of sending it to your department,

to your lieutenant. I’m going to

turn you in to the police, Shar,

and see how you like it.

The message ends. She stands there a moment.

SHARON:

(quietly)

Oh, God. Oh, sh*t.

She sits on the edge of a chair, worried, deep in her

thoughts, hitting bottom --the darkness engulfing her.

In a moment, she looks at her desk, walks there, opens a

drawer, pulls out that piece of tape with Catch’s number

on it --but it is all stuck to itself. She hesitates,

then starts to pick it apart when a KNOCK at the door

makes her jump. She wonders, then, somehow, she knows.

She walks to the door.

(CONTINUED)

60.

CONTINUED:

SHARON:

It’s you, right?

She unlocks and opens the door, stares at Catch, very

vulnerable, on the very edge, her pain and fear over

Larry just under the surface. Catch holds a box of

cookies as an offering.

SHARON:

Can you just shut up? Just shut

up and listen.

CATCH:

I didn’t say anything.

SHARON:

I don’t want to talk. I don’t

care if you have to play some game

and pretend you’re a... ’angel of

mercy’ or... whatever. I don’t

care, but I don’t want to hear

about it. All right? I don’t

want to hear anything.

She steps back, allowing him in, and closes the door and

turns to him.

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