Devil in a Blue Dress Page #12

66.

70 CONTINUED:
(2) 70

He points to a crystal decanter near Easy. Easy pours

himself a drink and takes in Carter as he wrings his hands

to keep from going to pieces. This guy's got it bad.

EASY:

Mr. Carter. I came here to get

some answers.

CARTER:

Yes...?

EASY:

I don't know... I'm takin' a

helluva chance...

Carter runs his hand through his hair again, the suspense

killing him.

EASY:

(continuing)

I guess it's just that when I'm

working for somebody, I wanna know

what I'm gettin' myself into...

Carter leans in as if he missed something.

CARTER:

I beg your pardon.

EASY:

Well, I'd like to know the real

reason why Mr. Albright hired me.

CARTER:

(after a moment)

Mr. Albright?

EASY:

Yeah. The man you hired to find

Daphne.

CARTER:

There must be some mistake... I'm

sorry, busy... Who are you talking

about?

Easy and Carter stare at each other, not sure how to

proceed.

EASY:

You didn't hire somebody to find

your girlfriend?

67.

70 CONTINUED:
(3) 70

CARTER:

No... Until just now I was sure

that she was hundreds of miles away

from here... You say someone is

looking for her?

Easy nods, his brow furrowed in thought. Carter gets up and

walks to the door, looking out into the canyon.

CARTER:

(half to himself)

Someone is looking for her.

EASY:

What's goin' on between you two?

Carter shrugs and stammers nervously.

CARTER:

Uh... I don't know... We were going

to be married... We had a fight...

(then recovering)

Uh... that's none of your concern,

Mr. Rawlins.

He stops and looks to the floor, the gravity pulling him

down... way down.

CARTER:

(continuing)

Someone's... after her? A Mr.

Albright? And he said he's working

for me?

EASY:

Yeah... Do you know a man named

Richard McGee?

CARTER:

No... I can't say that I do.

EASY:

Why would someone be after her, Mr.

Carter?

CARTER:

Uh... I can't say -- I don't

know...

He's lying and Easy knows it.

68.

70 CONTINUED:
(4) 70

CARTER:

(continuing)

Do you think you could find her

again?

EASY:

I don't know.

CARTER:

It's important, Mr. Rawlins, for

her sake... I'm willing to pay you.

EASY:

Mr. Carter, why did she leave?

CARTER:

I can't tell you any more Mr.

Rawlins -- I'll pay you to find

her...

Easy thinks about it, and then nods.

EASY:

Okay... a thousand dollars.

CARTER:

A thousand dollars?!

EASY:

Yeah. I'll take two hundred right

now.

CARTER:

Mr. Rawlins. I think you're trying

to take advantage of me. But left

me inform you that the incumbent

mayor and the chief of police eat

at my house regularly.

EASY:

Good. Then they can help us--

CARTER:

--No. They can't!

Carter is too emphatic and Easy waits for him to give more,

but instead he turns and gazes out again at the canyon.

BAXTER:

I'll have Baxter write you out a

check.

69.

70 CONTINUED:
(5) 70

EASY:

(after a moment)

Mr. Carter, why'd you stop runnin'

for mayor?

CARTER:

(terse)

I'll have Baxter write you a check.

EASY:

Why is Matthew Teran looking for

her too?

CARTER:

(with finality)

Baxter will write you a check!!

Easy takes him in and then holds out his hand.

EASY:

I'll take cash, Mr. Carter.

Carter fumbles in his wallet, and too nervous to count the

money, shoves the wallet at Easy.

CARTER:

Take it all... Just take it all.

Easy nods and strides out of the room.

71 OMIT 71

A72 EXT. T. CARTER FOUNDATION - DAY A72

Easy walks to his car, gets in and drives away toward the

entrance.

EASY (V.O.)

So Albright was working for Matthew

Teran. And whatever Teran had on

Carter was strong stuff... too

strong even for Carter to go to the

police... But because Teran was

desperate to find the girl too,

that gave me the best hand. I had

seen her once, and if I played it

right, I'd see her again.

72-75 OMIT 72-75

70.

MONTAGE SEQUENCE:

76 POOL HALL - THAT NIGHT 76

Easy talks to the short, squat, suspicious woman who runs

the place. Through the smoke, other distrustful eyes fix on

him from pool tables and dark corners.

EASY (V.O.)

Everywhere I went was a familiar

place, but different because I was

asking about buying hijacked liquor

from the man nobody wanted to talk

about. Frank Green...

DISSOLVE TO:

77 NIGHTCLUB - NEXT NIGHT 77

Upscale, with a balcony. Billy Eckstine fronts the band.

Blacks and whites are dressed to impress, including Easy,

who leans into the bartender.

EASY (V.O.)

It was actually looking more and

more like I might not make it

through this little adventure I was

having. But I was likin' the chill

in my blood, and the freedom of

working on my own.

DISSOLVE TO:

78 ABE AND JOHNNY'S LIQUOR - NEXT DAY 78

The two JEWISH OWNERS unveil for Easy a case of hijacked

liquor in a wooden crate.

EASY (V.O.)

There were times in the war when I

had felt like this. When life or

death where the only two choices.

That made it simple. And that was

alright by me.

79 EXT. EASY'S HOUSE - DAY 79

Easy unlatches the gate and pushes it open. He's tired, and

he trudges up the walkway to the porch. He sees

THE WOODCUTTER standing on the front lawn of the next door

neighbor's, waving at him.

71.

79 CONTINUED:
79

BACK TO EASY:

He throws a rock and then unlocks the door. But he notices

THE POT OF AFRICAN VIOLETS lying broken on the cement. He

looks up just in time to see a TWO-BY-FOUR swing down.

BONK! And Easy is seeing stars.

A big man, dressed in black, kicks open the door and drives

Easy head first into

80 INT. EASY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM 80

Easy slams to the floor but manages to roll out of the way

of a lethal CRACK! of the board onto the floor.

He grabs a lamp and hurls it at the oncoming figure who

catches it on the arm and keeps on coming, snapping a blade

from his fist which leaps out like a chrome-colored flame.

Easy scrambles back, his head butting up against the couch,

his forehead streaming blood, his eyes wide with the sight

of sure death advancing.

EASY:

(terrified)

Frank! Wait a minute! I need to

talk to you!

Frank looms over him, his sinister but handsome brown face

framed by a short-rimmed, black Stetson hat and a black

shirt and coat. He holds the knife to Easy's neck, letting the

blade press into the skin as he talks.

FRANK:

You the reason why she told me to

lay low, hunh.

Easy buries himself back against the sofa.

EASY:

(machine gun quick)

Naw. I got five hundred dollars

for you. Rich man wants to talk to

a white girl you know. Daphne...

Frank's eyes flame and he presses the knife, drawing blood.

FRANK:

You a dead man--

WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!

72.

80 CONTINUED:
80

O.S. VOICE

Easy, you in there?

Frank's head whips toward the door and Easy knocks the knife

away and comes up tussling.

Frank scrambles to get away and Easy tackles him, straining

to keep Frank from reaching the knife.

THE FRONT DOOR springs open and SPATS ON PATENT LEATHER

SHOES clump in, the last one stomping down on Frank's

outstretched fingers. Frank screams and cradles his hand in

agony.

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