Chinatown Page #16

Gittes looks at the quilt. In it is the head of a fish among

the rest of the crazy quilt pattern. Gittes spots it.

GITTES:

That's just lovely.

EMMA:

Thank you...

He looks through the quilt for other pieces of the fish -comes

across the tail -- and by it -- the initials A.C.

86.

GITTES:

(indicating tail)

-- Where did you get this material?

EMMA:

(what it sounds like)

The apple core club -

GITTES:

-- The apple core?

EMMA:

No -- the albacore. It's a fish.

My grandson's a member -- and they

take very nice care of us.

GITTES:

How do they do that?

EMMA:

Give us things -- not just some old

flag like this, but -

GITTES:

(kneeling)

But what?

PALMER'S VOICE

We're a sort of unofficial charity

of theirs, Mr. Gittes. Would you

care to come this way? Someone wants

to see you.

Gittes looks up, sees Palmer standing in the doorway, looking

taut and a little drawn. Evelyn is beside him.

She gestures -- as if there's someone behind Palmer. Gittes

rises.

GITTES:

See you later, Emma.

He walks toward Palmer who waits for him to walk in front.

AT THE ENTRANCE HALL - MULVIHILL

Is waiting. He's got his hand in his pocket. Evelyn looks to

Gittes. The four of them stand there, Mulvihill towering

over everyone.

MULVIHILL:

Come on -- I want you to meet

somebody, Gittes.

87.

GITTES:

(glancing from Palmer

to Mulvihill)

Can -- we leave the lady out of this?

MULVIHILL:

(a little uncertain)

-- Yeah, why not?

GITTES:

Okay, I'd like to walk her to her

car.

EVELYN:

I'll stay.

GITTES:

(taking her by the

arm)

Get in the car.

MULVIHILL:

I'll see she makes it.

Mulvihill has walked up beside Gittes. He makes the mistake

of opening the glass door in the entryway, putting his back

to Gittes for a moment. Gittes swiftly pulls Mulvihill's

jacket up over his head. He spins him around. With his jacket

covering his face, Gittes hammers away at Mulvihlll, beating

him against the glass door, along the wall, mercilessly

pounding his fists into the cloth until the cloth turns red

and Mulvihill begins to sink to the red tile floor. Palmer

screams. Evelyn stands there astonished. Mulvihill's gun has

clattered to the floor.

GITTES:

(as Mulvihill hits

the floor, to Evelyn)

What are you waiting for? Get in the

car!

Evelyn goes. Mulvihill tries to get up again. Palmer starts

to go for the gun, nearly picking it up. Gittes slaps it out

of his hand and kicks it. It goes flying down the hall, at

least thirty feet; hits the wall. Palmer goes screaming off

into the night. Gittes turns back to Mulvihill who starts to

get up, then collapses.

Gittes goes out the front door, ignoring the excited audience

of ancients behind him.

OUTSIDE:

As Gittes walks down the pathway, he stops -- two men are

coming toward him. One of them is shorter, and has the

nervous, jerky moves of the man who slit his nose.

88.

Gittes stops. The two men fan out and continue to move toward

him. Gittes spots the two-tone shoes. He begins to back up.

Suddenly there is a pair of headlights flashing brilliantly

behind the two men. In a moment Evelyn's car is headed across

the lawn directly toward the two men, accelerating as it

gets near them. They look in disbelief, then dive for safety.

The car skids to a stop, fishtailing a little on the grass.

Evelyn opens the passenger door.

EVELYN:

Get in.

Gittes jumps in and she takes off across the lawn, tilting

the elegant little neon sign on the lawn as she goes. Two

SHOTS ARE FIRED.

INT. CAR - EVELYN & GITTES

Evelyn looking straight ahead, driving. After a moment she

takes one hand off the wheel and rubs her left eye a little.

Gittes watches her. He smiles.

EXT. VERANDA - MULWRAY HOME - NIGHT

Gittes stands on the veranda, smoking a cigarette, staring

off into the night. Evelyn comes out to the veranda, carrying

a tray with whiskey and an ice bucket on it. She sets it

down -- Gittes turns.

GITTES:

(watching her pour)

Maid's night off?

EVELYN:

Why?

GITTES:

(a little surprised,

he laughs)

What do you mean, 'why?' Nobody's

here, that's all.

EVELYN:

(handing Gittes his

drink)

-- I gave everybody the night off -

GITTES:

-- Easy, It's an innocent question.

EVELYN:

No question from you is innocent,

Mr. Gittes.

89.

GITTES:

(laughing)

I guess not -- to you, Mrs. Mulwray.

Frankly you really saved my a-my

neck tonight.

They drink.

EVELYN:

Tell me something -- does this usually

happen to you, Mr. Gittes?

GITTES:

What's that, Mrs. Mulwray?

EVELYN:

-- Well, I'm only judging on the

basis of one afternoon and an evening,

but if that's how you go about your

work, I'd say you're lucky to get

through a whole day.

GITTES:

(pouring himself

another drink)

-- Actually this hasn't happened to

me in some time.

EVELYN:

-- When was the last time?

GITTES:

Why?

EVELYN:

Just -- I don't know why.

I'm asking.

Gittes touches his nose, winces a little.

GITTES:

It was in Chinatown.

EVELYN:

What were you doing there?

GITTES:

(taking a long drink)

-- Working for the District Attorney.

EVELYN:

Doing what?

Gittes looks sharply at her. Then:

GITTES:

As little as possible.

90.

EVELYN:

The District Attorney gives his men

advice like that?

GITTES:

They do in Chinatown.

She looks at him. Gittes stares off into the night. Evelyn

has poured herself another drink.

EVELYN:

Bothers you to talk about it, doesn't

It?

Gittes gets up.

GITTES:

No -- I wonder -- could I -- do you

have any peroxide or something?

He touches his nose lightly.

EVELYN:

Oh sure. C'mon.

She takes his hand and leads him back into the house.

INT. BATHROOM - MIRROR

Gittes pulls the plaster off his nose, stares at it in the

mirror. Evelyn takes some hydrogen peroxide and some cotton

out of a medicine cabinet. Evelyn turns Gittes' head toward

her. She has him sit on the pullman tile adjacent to the

sink.

EVELYN:

Doctor did a nice job...

She begins to work on his nose with the peroxide. Then she

sees his cheek -- checks back in his hair.-

EVELYN:

(continuing)

-- Boy oh boy, you're a mess

GITTES:

-- Yeah -

EVELYN:

(working on him)

-- So why does it bother you to talk

about it... Chinatown...

GITTES:

-- Bothers everybody who works there -but

to me -- It was -

91.

Gittes shrugs.

EVELYN:

-- Hold still -- why?

GITTES:

-- You can't always tell what's going

on there -

EVELYN:

... No -- why was it -

GITTES:

I thought I was keeping someone from

being hurt and actually I ended up

making sure they were hurt.

EVELYN:

Could you do anything about it?

They're very close now as she's going over a mouse very near

his eye.

GITTES:

Yeah -- make sure I don't find myself

in Chinatown anymore -wait

a second -

He takes hold of her and pulls her even closer,

EVELYN:

(momentarily freezing)

-- What's wrong?

GITTES:

Your eye.

EVELYN:

What about it?

GITTES:

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