Croupier Page #17

JACK:

(firmly)

Look Bella, I don't know anything

about this. You should talk to

Matt.

BELLA:

You're all scumbags.

MARION:

I agree.

Without looking at MARION, BELLA suddenly kisses JACK on

the lips. BELLA looks hard at JACK, then leaves. JACK

pursues her.

EXT. BASEMENT - NIGHT

BELLA runs up the iron stairs to the gate at the top.

JACK:

Bella!

Without looking back she flings the gate shut, goes off

down the street. JACK turns.

MARION:

Go on. Go after her!

MARION slams the door to the flat. JACK is half-way up the

stairs, alone.

EXT. PICCADILLY DEPARTMENT STORE - EVENING

The rush hour. 6 in the evening. JACK watches MEN and WOMEN

coming out the store.

JACK'S VOICE

Jack had no idea where Marion was

staying, or with whom. He realised

he knew little about her life. But

then, he had never asked about it.

JACK now sees MARION. He is about to go up to her, moving

through the flow of the crowd, then he stops.

A MAN in his 30s, tall with a moustache, greets MARION.

He's been waiting for her. JACK watches the two of them,

unseen.

The MAN and MARION exchange a few words. She smiles, takes

his arm. He leans forward to kiss her.

JACK'S VOICE

For the first time in a long while

Jack thought about his mother.

She'd left when she couldn't take

it any more. His father had said

'Don't worry, Jacko, she'll come

back.' She didn't.

JACK turns and walks away.

JACK'S VOICE

But Marion wasn't his mother...

INT. CASINO - CROWS NEST - NIGHT

JACK stands behind REYNOLDS who is playing back a video of

the earlier incident in which MATT cheated with the GREEK.

JACK:

He's paying out in stacks of 25.

REYNOLDS:

I can see.

He freezes the frame, presses a button, zooms in on the

detail of MATT's hand covering the chips.

On another video monitor MATT is dealing blackjack. REYNOLDS

looks at the screen.

REYNOLDS:

Little sh*t.

JACK'S VOICE

Chapter Three. His existence was

forming an interesting pattern of

betrayals. Sometimes he was unsure

whether he was the betrayer or the

betrayed.

REYNOLDS looks up from the screen.

REYNOLDS:

(grudgingly)

Thanks for the information.

JACK:

A pleasure. Pity about Bella.

REYNOLDS:

She was a real asset. But what

could I do?

JACK lights a cigarette.

REYNOLDS:

(shakes his head)

Sorry. No smoking in the Nest,

Jack.

INT. JACK'S FLAT - DAY

Working at his computer, JACK lights one cigarette from

another. He pauses from his typing. On the desk beside him

is the note with JANI's phone number. He picks up the phone,

starts to dial, then stops, replaces the receiver. He looks

distracted, lost. On the table MARION'S flowers are dead

in the vase.

INT. BOOKSTORE - DAY

JACK comes downstairs from the upper floor. He is looking

at a book he has selected: 'SCARNE ON CARDS'.

Across from the cash desk near the entrance a book signing

is in progress. A small crowd surrounds a Middle Eastern

author called HABIB dressed in a kaftan. GILES is with

him. A PHOTOGRAPHER is there. A few camera flashes.

GILES sees JACK at the cash desk. He is uncertain for a

moment, then smiles.

GILES:

(calling)

Jack!

Hearing his name, JACK turns. GILES comes over.

GILES:

I thought it was you. It's the

hair!

JACK:

(touching the back

of his neck)

I'm working on that soccer story.

GILES:

(vaguely)

Right.

(suddenly)

Look, I must get back to Habib.

JACK:

Habib?

GILES:

My author. He's a Terrorist. He's

written a kill-and-tell book.

(puts his hand on

Jack's shoulder)

Take care.

GILES heads back to the signing. The CASHIER puts JACK'S

book in a bag. GILES stops, thinking of something. He comes

back to JACK.

GILES:

Jack, look, next weekend I'm having

a house party. Here...

(removes a card

from his pocket

book)

It's near Oxford. Why don't you

come? It'll just be social. No

business.

(conspiratorially)

Bring a friend. I've plenty of

room.

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