Devil in a Blue Dress Page #4

19 OMIT 19

17.

A20 INT. JOHN'S SPEAKEASY STAIRWELL A20

EASY:

You got a cigarette?

JUNIOR:

Sure.

He pulls out his pack and stops to light Easy up. Easy

starts coughing as they continue up the stairs.

EASY:

Damn! How do you smoke these

things?

JUNIOR:

Don't you hafta work tomorrow?

EASY:

Naw. I got fired.

A hint of a smile appears on Junior's face.

JUNIOR:

The last time I heard these fellas

playin' tonight was back in

Houston, the night your ole buddy

Mouse had to pull me up off your

ass.

Easy grins and shakes his head.

EASY:

That's the way you remember it,

hunh?

JUNIOR:

Hell, that's the way it was.

And he stops to unlock the door.

JUNIOR:

(continuing)

When you gonna admit that you

helped Mouse kill old man

Navrochet?

EASY:

Aw, man, get off that. I ain't had

nothin' to do with that.

Junior opens the door and Lips' alto horn slaps Easy in the

face. Half of Houston, Texas seems to be jammed into this

place.

18.

A20 CONTINUED:
A20

EASY:

Boy, it's happenin' tonight.

Where's all the white women at?

JUNIOR:

I don't pay them white girls no

mind.

EASY:

(sarcastically)

Yeah... I bet you don't.

And he steps in.

JUNIOR:

That's right. Just like you didn't

help mouse kill his stepfather.

Go on, man.

EASY:

And he starts away inside.

JUNIOR:

Hey, Easy. Did you help him kill

his stepbrother, too?

Easy turns to glare at Junior and the surly field hand slaps

his thigh and roars with laughter as he closes the door.

After all these years the two men still hate each other.

20 INT. JOHN'S SPEAKEASY 20

Easy looks around to see couples trying to dance; finding

themselves wrestling between tables packed with five and six

people each.

He heads for the bar pointing a finger at a man in a black

silk shirt and a foot-high pompadour hairdo.

EASY:

Alphonso Jenkins!

ALPHONSO flashes pearls.

Hey, Easy!

ALPHONSO:

EASY:

Hey, man, you seen a girl named

Dahlia or somethin'... White girl

supposed to be somethin' to look

at.

19.

20 CONTINUED:
20

ALPHONSO:

Naw, but if I see her I'm gonna

keep her to myself.

Easy claps him on the shoulder and waves at skinny RITA COOK

who is sitting at a table with five MEN.

RITA:

Hey, Baby.

EASY:

Hey, Rita!

(under his breath)

What do they see in you?

Finally, Easy spots a fifty-year-old MAN in an old grey

tweed jacket sitting in a corner at a table by himself.

Looking like the God fearing, all fearing Baptist deacon

that he is -- he is as out of place as a whore in church as

he nervously gazes about the room and massacres a plate of

barbecued ribs.

Easy leans over the counter to the bartender.

EASY:

Hey, Lewis. Gimme a couple glasses

and a pail of ice and send a quart

of bourbon over there to Odell's

table.

Lewis scoops up ice into a small bucket and plops it onto

the bar with two short glasses.

Easy lays a dollar on the counter and carries the set up

over to the corner as he watches...

THE BAND:

burn it up.

BACK TO SCENE:

Easy stops at Odell's table.

EASY:

Hey, Odell.

ODELL:

Easy.

EASY:

How's it going tonight?

Odell doesn't miss a bite as he scopes the crowd.

20.

20 CONTINUED:
(2) 20

ODELL:

(slowly)

Well... It's goin' alright. It

sure is goin'.

O.S. VOICE

Easy Rawlins, is that you?

Easy looks up to see

DUPREE, a big black man with a wide white grin in a white

suite with blue pinstripes and a ten-gallon hat.

DUPREE:

You ain't jumped outta no windows

yet?

EASY:

Not yet, Dupree.

DUPREE:

Miss you down at the plant... You

know Coretta, don't ya?

He has her in tow like a toy wagon and she offers a coy

smile. Short and roundish with cherry-brown skin, she leads

with her bosom.

EASY:

Hey, Coretta, how are ya?

Coretta rests her sloe-eyes on Easy and Odell and the church

going man almost chokes.

ODELL:

Oh, my goodness.

CORETTA:

Could we sit down with y'all?

EASY:

Sure. Sure.

Dupree and Coretta settle in.

DUPREE:

You know Benny just wants you to

say you're sorry, Easy. And he'll

give you your job back.

EASY:

I'm a sorry man, all right. Any

man without his paycheck is sorry.

21.

20 CONTINUED:
(3) 20

Dupree laughs, smacking the table so hard it rattles like an

earthquake. And Coretta's smile ignites like a slow fuse

causing Easy to feel it all the way down his spine.

A man with his hair marcelled back swoops in and pulls a

quart of Old Crow from his overcoat and sits it on the

table.

Easy reaches for his wallet but Dupree beats him to it.

DUPREE:

I got it, Easy. Your money ain't

no good up in here.

Naw, Dupree.

EASY:

This one's mine--

You sure?

DUPREE:

You the one outta work.

Coretta frowns at Dupree as Easy counts out three dollars.

CORETTA:

And you're the one ain't never got

no money.

DUPREE:

Aw, Baby...

(to bootlegger)

Get us another couple glasses.

And he peels off a dollar and hands it off.

EASY:

Either one of y'all seen a white

girl named Dahlia or somethin' with

a 'D'?

Odell shakes his head "no," and Coretta looks away as if

insulted leaving silence until

DUPREE:

Hey, Coretta got a new job at the

phone company.

He squeezes his woman in close and Coretta softens up and

burns that smile again.

Easy grins and nods "congratulations."

21 THE BOTTLE 21

It's less than a quarter full now because it's three hours

later.

22.

21 CONTINUED:
21

BACK TO SCENE:

John's is only half full and the band is gone. The jukebox

echoes Lena Horne's "Prisoner of Love" and Dupree leans back

in his chair, snoring -- mouth wide open.

Odell gets up and starts to amble off.

EASY:

Hey, you goin' home, Odell?

Concentrating totally on keeping his balance, Odell waves

feebly without looking back.

Easy is droopy-eyed from the booze but Coretta just looks a

little sexier. She straightens Dupree's hat on his head and

twists up her nose.

CORETTA:

He used to play till the cock

crowed. But that ole cock don't

crow nearly so much now...

She levels her perpetual "come on" onto Easy and he nods

sluggishly and lifts himself to his feet.

EASY:

Think I'm gonna head out.

CORETTA:

You be sorry if you go.

She slides her hand inside her blouse and discreetly lifts

her bodice to air her breasts.

EASY:

I think I'd be more sorry if I

stay...

He turns to go.

CORETTA:

Daphne sleep by now. You can't get

none of that tonight.

Easy turns and Coretta plays with the ice in her glass.

CORETTA:

You been telling everybody Dahlia,

but her name is Daphne.

EASY:

You know her?

23.

21 CONTINUED:
(2) 21

Coretta leans back and fans her bosom.

22 EXT. CORETTA'S HOUSE - NIGHT 22

Easy struggles with Dupree, and Coretta gives him a hand as

they drag him from Easy's car to her front door, the big

man's feet plowing two deep furrows in the lawn.

23 INT. CORETTA'S HOUSE 23

Coretta pushes the door open and Easy hauls him in.

CORETTA:

Throw him in there on the bed,

Easy.

Easy pulls and pushes Dupree's dead weight into

THE BEDROOM:

CORETTA:

Throwed him outta his place, 'cause

he couldn't pay the rent. I

shouldn't even let him sleep here.

Finally Easy manages to pile Dupree onto the bed and then

stands up panting and sweating.

Damn...

EASY:

Coretta leads him out into

24 THE LIVING ROOM 24

EASY:

I need a cigarette.

Coretta shines her hazel eyes on him.

CORETTA:

That all you need?

Easy grins nervously and clears his throat.

EASY:

Coretta, sun catch me tip-toein'

out your door and no tellin' what

your neighbors say...

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