Chinatown Page #7

ESCOBAR:

You've done well by yourself.

GITTES:

I get by.

ESCOBAR:

Well, sometimes it takes a while for

a man to find himself and I guess

you have.

LOACH:

Poking around in other people's dirty

linen.

GITTES:

Yeah. Tell me. You still throw

Chinamen into jail for spitting on

the laundry?

ESCOBAR:

You're behind the times, Jake -they've

got steam irons now -

(smiles)

And I'm out of Chinatown.

GITTES:

Since when?

ESCOBAR:

Since I made Lieutenant -

It's apparent Gittes is impressed despite himself.

GITTES:

Congratulations.

33.

ESCOBAR:

Uh-huh -- so what are you doing here?

GITTES:

Looking for someone.

ESCOBAR:

Who?

GITTES:

Hollis Mulwray. You seen him?

ESCOBAR:

Oh yes.

GITTES:

I'd like to talk to him.

ESCOBAR:

You're welcome to try. There he is.

Escobar points down to the reservoir -- a couple of men using

poles with hooks are fishing about in the water.

It can be SEEN that one of them has hooked something.

He shouts. The other man hooks it, too. They pull, revealing

the soaking back of a man's coat -- they start to pull the

body into the skiff.

INT. CORONER'S OFFICE - EVELYN AND ESCOBAR

are standing over the body of Mulwray. Escobar has the sheet

drawn back. Evelyn nods.

Escobar drops the sheet. Escobar and Evelyn move a few feet

to one side and whisper, almost as though they were trying

to keep the corpse from hearing them.

ESCOBAR:

-- It looks like he was washed the

entire length of the runoff channel -could

he swim?

EVELYN:

Of course.

ESCOBAR:

-- Obviously the fall must have

knocked him out -

Evelyn nods slightly Escobar coughs. A coroner's assistant

wheels the body out of the office.

34.

ESCOBAR:

(continuing)

-- This alleged affair he was having -the

publicity didn't make him morose

or unhappy?

OUTSIDE THE CORONER'S

Gittes has been sitting on a wooden bench, smoking and

listening. At this question, he rises and looks through the

doorway.

Escobar sees him, ignores him. Evelyn doesn't see him.

EVELYN:

... Well, it didn't make him happy...

ESCOBAR:

But there is no possibility he would

have taken his own life?

EVELYN:

(sharply)

No.

ESCOBAR:

(a little uncomfortably

now)

Mrs. Mulwray, do you happen to know

the name of the young woman in

question?

Evelyn shows a flash of annoyance.

EVELYN:

No.

ESCOBAR:

Do you know where she might be?

EVELYN:

Certainly not!

Escobar and Evelyn move slowly toward the door.

ESCOBAR:

You and your husband never discussed

her?

EVELYN.

(stopping, faltering)

He... we did... he wouldn't tell me

her name. We quarreled over her...

of course -- it came as a complete

surprise to me -

35.

ESCOBAR:

A complete surprise?

EVELYN:

-- Yes.

ESCOBAR:

But I thought you'd hired a private

investigator -

EVELYN:

A private investigator?

ESCOBAR:

(gesturing vaguely

toward the door)

Mr. Gittes.

EVELYN:

Well yes -

Evelyn looks up to see Gittes standing in the doorway only a

foot or two from her. She stops cold. They look at one another

for a long moment.

EVELYN:

(her eyes on Gittes)

But I... I... did that because I

thought it was a nasty rumor I'd put

an end to...

She finishes, looks plaintively at Gittes. Escobar is right

at her back. Gittes says nothing.

ESCOBAR:

-- And when did Mr. Gittes inform

you that these rumors had some

foundation in fact?

Evelyn looks at Escobar but doesn't know how to answer him.

GITTES:

(smoothly)

-- Just before the story broke in

the papers, Lou.

Escobar nods. They begin to walk slowly, again have to move

out of the way as some other corpse is being wheeled out of

one of the Coroner cubicles.

ESCOBAR:

-- You wouldn't happen to know the

present whereabouts of the young

woman.

GITTES:

-- No.

36.

ESCOBAR:

Or her name?

GITTES:

-- No.

They have walked a few steps further down the hall.

EVELYN:

Will you need me for anything else,

Lieutenant?

ESCOBAR:

I don't think so, Mrs. Mulwray.

Of course you have my deepest sympathy -and

-- if we need anymore information,

we'll be in touch.

GITTES:

I'll walk her to her car, be right

back.

ESCOBAR'S POV

Evelyn glances at Gittes. They go through a couple of outer

doors and pass several reporters who have been in the outer

hall, laughing, kidding, the tag end of lines like "only in

L.A." and "Southern Cafeteria."

Gittes hurries her past the reporters who flank them, asking

questions. Gittes brushes them aside.

EVELYN AND GITTES - AT HER CAR

in a small parking lot. Evelyn fumbles in her bag, looking

feverishly for some- thing in her purse.

GITTES:

Mrs. Mulwray?... Mrs. Mulwray.

EVELYN:

(flushed, perspiring)

... Just a minute...

GITTES:

(touching her gently)

-- You left your keys in the ignition.

EVELYN:

Oh... thank you.

She glances down, leans against the side of the car.

37.

EVELYN:

(continuing)

Thank you for going along with me. I

just didn't want to explain

anything... I'll send you a check.

GITTES:

(puzzled)

A check?

Evelyn gets in her car.

EVELYN:

To make it official, I hired you.

She drives off, leaving Gittes gaping.

INT. CORONER'S OFFICE HALLWAY

GITTES:

Don't give me that, Lou. You hauled

me down here for a statement.

Escobar shrugs.

ESCOBAR:

I don't want it anymore.

GITTES:

No?

ESCOBAR:

No -- it was an accident.

GITTES:

You mean that's what you're going to

call it.

Escobar looks up.

ESCOBAR:

That's right.

(contemptuously)

Out of respect for his civic position.

Resume walking. Gittes laughs.

GITTES:

What'd he do, Lou, make a pass at

your sister?

Escobar stops.

ESCOBAR:

No -- he drowned a cousin of mine

with about five hundred other people.

(MORE)

38.

ESCOBAR (CONT'D)

But -- they weren't very important,

Just a bunch of dumb Mexicans living

by a dam. Now beat it, Gittes, you

don't come out of this smelling like

a rose, you know.

GITTES:

Oh yeah? Can you think of something

to charge me with?

ESCOBAR:

When I do, you'll hear about it.

Gittes nods, turns, and walks down the hall.

OUTSIDE MORGUE:

Gittes stops by a body on the table, the toe tagged with

Mulwray's name. MORTY is standing near it in a doorway to an

adjoining room. A RADIO is on, and with it the announcement

that they're about to hear another chapter in the life of

Lorenzo Jones and his devoted wife, Belle.

Another Coroner's assistant sits at the table, listening to

the radio and eating a sandwich.

Gittes ambles into the room.

MORTY:

(a cigarette dangling

out of his mouth)

Jake, what're you doin' here?

GITTES:

Nothin', Morty, it's my lunch hour,

I thought I'd drop by and see who

died lately.

Gittes picks up the sheet and pulls it back. CAMERA GETS ITS

FIRST GLIMPSE of Mulwray's body -- eyes open, the face badly

cut and bruised.

MORTY:

Yeah? Ain't that something?

Middle of a drought, the water

commissioner drowns -- only in L.A.

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