Devil in a Blue Dress Page #13

Easy scrambles up to his knees and gawks up at

MOUSE, dressed in a plaid zoot suit with Broadway suspenders

down the front of his shirt, a long-barreled .41 caliber

pistol held loosely in his hand.

MOUSE:

Want me to kill him?

EASY:

(exhaling relief)

Mouse! Aw, man naw, it's all

right...

MOUSE:

Well, what's happenin'?

He holds out his hand and helps Easy to his feet.

Frank makes a slight move towards the knife and Mouse levels

the pistol at his head, his gold-rimmed teeth glittering

from a smile that wants Frank to go for it.

MOUSE:

I'll blow your goddamned nose

off...

EASY:

No, don't!

(to Frank)

Where's Daphne Monet?

Frank just stares up at Easy, his eyes sharp and defiant.

EASY:

Look, if you don't know where she

is, maybe we can help each other

find her.

After a moment, Mouse c*cks the hammer.

73.

80 CONTINUED:
(2) 80

MOUSE:

Nigga, you heard him.

EASY:

No, Mouse. Don't kill him.

The phone RINGS next to Mouse and he picks it up, eyes still

on Frank.

MOUSE:

Huh?... He's busy right now, you

gonna have to call back.

He hangs up.

EASY:

Frank, a rich man she knows is

willing to pay a thousand dollars

just to talk to her. A thousand

bucks, man.

Frank still won't talk and that does it for Mouse. He

releases the hammer.

MOUSE:

Easy, lemme try.

THUNK! He slaps Frank upside the head with the pistol.

MOUSE:

You better...

(THUNK!)

Talk...

(THUNK!)

You stupid--

Easy grabs Mouse's arm and Frank slumps to the floor.

EASY:

Let him go!

MOUSE:

Get out of my way!

EASY:

Let him be!

The two friends struggle, and Frank rears up and plows into

Easy, sending him sprawling to the floor on top of Mouse.

Then Frank, covered in blood, hurls himself across the room,

out the door.

74.

81

Mouse gets to his feet and runs to the door aiming the 81

pistol, but it's too late. Easy stands up and Mouse points the

gun at him.

MOUSE:

Damn you, Easy. Don't you never

grab me when I got a gun in my

hand!

Easy silently eyes the pistol and gives Mouse a chance to

calm down. After a moment Mouse looks down at his jacket.

MOUSE:

Look at the blood you done got on

my coat. Why you wanna go and do

that?

He looks out the door and grabs a small suitcase. Then

spots the bathroom and moves to it, taking off his jacket

and hanging the pistol in his belt.

Easy holds his fingers to the bump on his forehead and

catches his breath as Mouse runs water in the bathtub.

MOUSE:

Now we got to find that girl so we

can get that money.

EASY:

No, we don't, Mouse. I don't need

your kinda help or I would've

called you.

Mouse comes out of the bathroom, scrubbing at a spot on his

jacket with a washcloth.

MOUSE:

You standing there with a knot on

your head the size of a twelve-

year-old tittie and you "don't need

my kind of help"?

EASY:

(angrily)

This is the same sh*t you pulled

five years ago when you asked me to

drive you out to your stepfather's

house, then come to find out you

killed him and your stepbrother.

MOUSE:

Aw, easy, that was a long time ago.

Easy glares at Mouse and dabs blood from his forehead with a

handkerchief.

75.

81 CONTINUED:
81

MOUSE:

(after a moment)

Come on, Easy. Cut me in on this.

I could help you. I let you run

the show. I swear I will.

He ambles over to Easy apologetically and holds Easy's

shoulders with both hands.

MOUSE:

I swear, I ain't gonna do nothin'

you don't tell me to do.

Easy knows he can't believe this but

EASY:

Everything I say?

MOUSE:

Everything you say.

With no choice, Easy nods and walks into

82 THE BATHROOM 82

He runs cold water onto a washcloth and looks in the mirror,

dabbing at his forehead.

EASY:

Who was that called?

MOUSE (O.S.)

I don't know... Sound like some

white girl.

Easy turns toward the door "Aw Man!"

83 INT. EASY'S CAR - DAY 83

Mouse, in a plum colored double-breasted suit and a brown

felt derby hat, turns on the radio and the Ink Spots' "We'll

Meet Again" purrs out. He starts to turn the key, but then

remembers and honks the horn.

84 EXT. EASY'S HOUSE - DAY 84

Easy opens the door and stands on the porch.

MOUSE:

Hey, Easy, was it a left on

Richland or a right?

76.

84 CONTINUED:
84

EASY:

A right. And if Dupree ain't over

there in Compton, just come on back

'cause I might have heard from the

girl.

Just then a car cruises around the corner and Easy watches

MASON AND MILLER pull up across the street and get out. He

glances over at Mouse.

85 INT. EASY'S CAR - DAY 85

Mouse shuts off the radio and slumps down in the seat out of

view.

86 EXT. EASY'S HOUSE - DAY 86

Easy watches them stroll up the walkway.

MILLER:

Mr. Rawlins... We came to ask you a

few more questions.

MASON:

(grinning)

So why don't you just invite us

inside...

(holding open the door)

After you.

And Easy and Miller go in.

MASON:

What happened to your head? I

don't remember doing all that.

He laughs and closes the door behind them.

87 INT. EASY'S HOUSE 87

Miller looks around suspiciously. The room still shows

signs of the struggle with Frank Green. He exchanges a look

with Mason.

MILLER:

Been having a party, Ezekiel?

Mason pushes Easy into the chair and Miller plants his foot

on the seat between Easy's legs and leans in.

MASON:

You got a lotta cuts and bruises to

be an ordinary working stiff.

77.

87 CONTINUED:
87

MILLER:

It's looking worse and worse for

you, my friend. What do you know

about Richard McGee?

EASY:

Who?

On the other side of the room Mason picks up a chunk of the

broken lamp from the fight.

MILLER:

A dead white man in a cabin in

Laurel Canyon.

Mason comes over and stands over Easy next to his partner.

He fingers the sharp porcelain shard of the lamp,

threatening.

MASON:

He hangs out with some of those

same n*gger friends of yours down

on Central Avenue.

Easy eyes the sharp edge, making up his mind to kill this

fat son-of-a-b*tch if he gets too creative, and die with

him.

MILLER:

He just happened to have a note in

his pocket with 'C. James' written

on it.

He holds the slip of paper up for Easy to see.

MASON:

Any of this making you feel

talkative at all, 'cause I'll bet

ya six bits to a bottle of piss

that we're looking at a double

here... All we need is to place you

in the dead man's house.

EASY:

I ain't been there.

MILLER:

Where?

EASY:

I ain't been in no dead man's

house.

Miller stands back and pats his pockets for a smoke.

78.

87 CONTINUED:
(2) 87

MILLER:

How 'bout a smoke, Ezekiel?

Easy taps out one and Miller places it in his mouth.

MILLER:

Got a light?

Easy pulls out his lighter and sparks the flame.

MILLER:

May I?

Easy shrugs and passes the lighter to Miller who fires

himself up.

MILLER:

Nice lighter...

He holds the lighter out of Mason who wraps it up in a

handkerchief.

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