Devil in a Blue Dress Page #11

60.

B67 CONTINUED:
B67

BACK TO EASY:

He scans the bar and sees that there are no customers, and

walks in.

JOPPY:

Hey, Easy.

Easy stops at the bar and stares at Joppy.

EASY:

That girl called me last night.

JOPPY:

What girl is that?

EASY:

The one your friend is lookin' for.

JOPPY:

Uh, huh. That's pretty lucky,

hunh?

EASY:

No, Joppy... Wasn't no luck at all.

It was you.

Joppy inadvertently clenches his fists and notices Easy's

aggressive stance.

EASY:

You and Coretta was the only ones

that had my phone number who knew I

was lookin' for her. And Coretta

was busy scammin' Daphne so she

wouldn't have done it... It was

you, man.

JOPPY:

Maybe she looked in the phone book.

EASY:

I ain't in the phone book, Joppy...

Joppy's eyes narrow.

JOPPY:

What the hell you mean, coming up

here all mad like you gonna do

something?!...

61.

B67 CONTINUED:
(2) B67

EASY:

(yelling)

You damn right! Coretta's dead!

Your friend Albright is on my ass.

The cops done brought me down once

-- Why didn't you just tell

Albright your damn self?

JOPPY:

(yelling back)

What did I tell you? To just take

that man's money! I didn't tell

you to do nothin'! I call myself

trying to help you save your

house... Don't come up in here

startin' no sh*t with me.

And he pulls a baseball bat from behind the bar, but Easy

has pulled his hammer and SMACKS it down hard, cracking the

beveled wood that frames the marble.

JOPPY:

(continuing; panicked)

Easy, wait! Watch my marble! My

uncle left me that when he died!

EASY:

And goddammit, he's about to get it

back.

He draws back for the downswing, and Joppy drops the

baseball bat, holding up his hands.

JOPPY:

Let's talk. Let's just talk.

EASY:

What you got me into, Joppy?!

Joppy inhales, forcing himself to be calm.

JOPPY:

She asked me to help her 'cause I

told her that Albright was lookin'

for her. And I figured I could

help you make a few bucks and throw

Albright off the trail too. She

wanted to know something about you

so I told her... I guess I must've

give her your phone number...

EASY:

Where is she, man?

62.

B67 CONTINUED:
(3) B67

JOPPY:

I don't know...

EASY:

Don't lie to me, Joppy!

JOPPY:

I ain't lyin'... I don't even know

her that good. She just asked me

to help her. And she asked me not

to tell nobody... I guess 'cause of

her and Frank Green.

EASY:

What's she runnin' from Joppy?

JOPPY:

I swear I don't know. She didn't

tell me. I didn't mean to get you

into nothin', Easy... I just... she

just... I mean you seen her,

Easy... Man, she's something else.

Easy can see "sucker" written all over Joppy as he fumbles

for a cigarette with one hand and shakes his head with

disgust as he lights up.

EASY:

Damn, Joppy. Is there any white

woman that ever gave you the time

of day that you wasn't a sucker

for?

Joppy frowns painfully and continues to wipe the bar.

67 EXT. T. CARTER FOUNDATION - DAY 67

Easy turns into the winding driveway through the stone

entrance way that bears the name of this distinguished

institution on a bronze plate.

He parks the car and gets out, adjusting his dark brown

Stetson which matches his pin-stripped suit. He looks

around at the massive and well manicured grounds and walks

into a patio area of this Spanish-style complex.

EASY (V.O.)

Albright had said that when you're

mixed up in something it's best to

be mixed up to the top. I could

see his point. So that's where I

was going... all the way to the

top.

63.

68 EXT. CARTER FOUNDATION PATIO 68

An ELDERLY SECRETARY descends an outdoor curved stairway

carrying a file. She spots Easy looking around confused and

immediately becomes annoyed.

SECRETARY:

May I help you?

EASY:

Uh... yes. I came to see Mr.

Carter.

SECRETARY:

Do you have an appointment?

EASY:

No, I don't.

SECRETARY:

Well, I'm sorry, but Mr. Carter is

a very busy man.

Easy pulls out Albright's business card and hands it to her.

EASY:

Well, tell him Mr. Albright sent

me, and it's real important.

She looks at the card and then up at Easy with annoyed

superiority.

SECRETARY:

May I ask the nature of your call,

Mister...?

EASY:

Rawlins. But I'm not so sure he'd

want me to tell you.

SECRETARY:

I'm quite sure, Mr. Rawlins, that

whatever you know is nothing I

can't know as well.

EASY:

Okay. Well, anyway, tell him I'm

here with information about that

little chippy of his that dumped

him.

SECRETARY:

Is this some sort of joke?

O.S. VOICE

Uh... Excuse me...

64.

68 CONTINUED:
68

Easy and the secretary turn to see a TALL MAN in a dark grey

suit with bushy black hair and thick eyebrows standing in

the doorway. He forces a smile and comes out.

BAXTER:

Mr. Rawlins was it?

He holds out his hand and Easy shakes it.

EASY:

Yes. Mister...

BAXTER:

Baxter.

(to the secretary)

I'll take care of this.

(and back to Easy)

Why don't you come with me, sir?

They walk through the door into

69 A HALLWAY

BAXTER:

Not very smart talking about Mr.

Carter's business to a secretary.

EASY:

I don't wanna hear it, man. It's

too much goin' on for me to give a

damn about what you think is smart.

Baxter bristles up and slows down his walk, about to put

Easy in his place. But Easy slows down too and squares up

on him. Baxter reconsiders and leads the way up a stone

staircase.

70 INT. CARTER'S OFFICE 70

Baxter ushers Easy into a huge elegantly furnished room more

closely resembling a hall than an office with large arched

doors and windows leading out onto a stone veranda

overlooking a canyon.

Alone looking out at the greenery on the opposite hillside

is TODD CARTER.

Baxter walks out and speaks with Carter, while Easy watches

them from inside the office. The rich man perks up with

interest and hurries inside with Baxter who throws Easy a

dirty look on his way out. He pauses uncertainly wearing a

simple Sears Roebuck-looking tan suit with a plain open-

collared white shirt. The dark circles under his eyes show

nights without sleep.

65.

70 CONTINUED:
70

CARTER:

Mr. Rawlins.

He runs a hand through his thinning red hair, and offers an

overstuffed sofa. They sit on either end.

CARTER:

(distraught)

Has something happened to Daphne?

EASY:

The last time I saw her she looked

fine.

CARTER:

You saw her?

EASY:

Yeah. Last night.

CARTER:

She's still in town?

EASY:

She was last night.

CARTER:

What did she say -- what was she

wearing?

EASY:

A blue dress. Blue heels.

CARTER:

And a pin on her chest?

EASY:

Yeah, on the left side.

CARTER:

(carried away)

Oh yes, that's her. That's her.

You know I've never known a woman

who could wear perfume so slight

that--

EASY:

--Mr. Carter, Mr. Carter--

CARTER:

What did she say? What did she

say?... Oh, I'm sorry. Brandy?

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