Excess Baggage Page #11

WILL:

I'm used to sleeping alone.

EMILY:

I'll bet. All those frigging locks.

She tosses back down into the pillows, turning away fromhim.

He turns onto his side, facing away from her.

The rain beats down.

There they both lie, wide awake.

EMILY (CONT'D)

Pogue, are you planning on being a car thief allyour life?

WILL:

Are you planning on being a thorn in your father'sside all your life?

Stony silence. Will sighs.

WILL (CONT'D)

I'm going to Tahiti.

EMILY:

You're going to steal cars in Tahiti? That's progress.

WILL:

I'm going to fish. And I'm going to go first class.

EMILY:

Oh, right. So what will you live on? Fish?

WILL:

I have investments.

Emily laughs -- bitter.

WILL (CONT'D)

What's so funny?

EMILY:

Here I thought I'd met an honest thief -- and youhave investments.

She's really laughing now -- but it's a brittle laugh.

EMILY (CONT'D)

Just like my father. Next, you'll tell me you havea tree fetish.

WILL:

Believe you me, hard as I tried, I could never fucksomeone up as bad as you're f***ed up over your old man.

She stops laughing. He glances over at her.

WILL (CONT'D)

Don't tell me I hurt your feelings.

She throws back the covers, stumps out of bed.

EMILY:

You take the bed. I'll sleep in the chair.

He shakes his head no, crosses his arms.

WILL:

Chair's by the door.

EMILY:

Jesus, God. Look, I give you my word, I will notleave, while you're asleep. Okay? Because I would rather see youget some sleep than end up somewhere dead on the highway. Will thatwork? My solemn oath.

He looks at her, skeptical.

INT. JOE'S AUTO PARTS - DAY

The bell JANGLES over the door and Dan Sims walks in, Barnabyplodding along behind him. The only living thing in sight is an old GermanShepherd in the corner -- it wags its tail.

SIMS:

Anybody here?

JOE (O.S.)

Yeah, yeah, hold on.

Sims leans down to pet the dog. Joe comes out of the back,glares at the dog.

JOE:

Veronica, you're supposed to bite the burglars,not welcome them in.

Veronica's tail wags harder.

JOE (CONT'D)

What can I do you for?

Dan flashes a badge.

SIMS:

Are you Joseph Pogue?

JOE:

Nope. He ain't here.

Sims squints at Joe.

SIMS:

When do you expect him back?

JOE:

Dunno. He went on a fishing trip. Maybe a week orso.

SIMS:

Would you happen to know where?

JOE:

Nope.

SIMS:

How about his nephew, William Pogue? You ever seehim around here?

JOE:

Sorry. Only worked here a coupla weeks.

Sims gives him a hard look.

SIMS:

And what would your name be?

JOE:

Dennis Hodges.

SIMS:

You got any identification, Dennis Hodges?

JOE:

Nope.

Sims glowers. Joe shrugs.

JOE (CONT'D)

I don't drive.

SIMS:

You know it's against the law to lie to a policeofficer, Mr. Hodges?

JOE:

Now I do.

Sims slaps his card on the counter.

SIMS:

You hear from Pogue, you call me.

JOE:

Will do.

Sims and Barnaby JANGLE out the door. Joe picks up the card,studies it.

JOE:

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

The Shepherd flops its tail.

INT. UNDERCOVER CAR (OUTSIDE JOE'S AUTO PARTS) - DAY

Sims steams. Barnaby starts the engine.

SIMS:

There is something wrong here. I don't know what,but something is not right.

BARNABY:

You mean with Pogue?

SIMS:

What do you mean, "Do you mean with Pogue"?

Barnaby inclines his head towards Joe's Auto Parts.

BARNABY:

That was him back there.

SIMS:

How can you tell? The station picture is sh*t.

BARNABY:

Went to school with him.

Sims' jaw drops.

SIMS:

You might have said something sooner.

Barnaby shrugs.

BARNABY:

You want to go back and talk to him?

SIMS:

Oh, right. Excuse me, Mr. Pogue. My partner justhappened to mention. . . he won't tell us anything now.

BARNABY:

Nope.

SIMS:

But I want the place watched.

BARNABY:

Okey-dokey.

Barnaby pulls out. Sims jerks his seat belt forward -- itsticks. Disgusted, he drops it, past trying to get the damn thing to work.

INT. THOMAS PERKINS' NEW AND IMPROVED DISCREET AUTOMOBILE(OUTSIDE JOE'S AUTO PARTS) - DAY

Thomas, expressionless and immaculate as always, watchesBarnaby and Sims pull away.

Beside him on the seat, the red LED on a high tech phonemonitoring device blinks.

INT. UNDERCOVER CAR - DAY

Barnaby drives, nonchalant. Dan Sims broods.

SIMS:

Barnaby, let me ask you a question.

BARNABY:

Shoot.

SIMS:

What do you think is happening here?

Barnaby scratches his neck, thinks a moment.

BARNABY:

You want to know what I think?

Sims is getting belligerent.

SIMS:

Yeah. Just out of curiosity, I want to know whatyou think.

BARNABY:

Well, lemme see. I think old man Hope thought hisdaughter was setting him up, so he didn't get too riled, thoughthe'd just play along. Then, when the car wasn't there with her init, he got worried and called in the big guns -- that'd be our mysteriousMr. Perkins. But the kidnapper we're after wasn't a kidnapper, hewas a car thief -- seeing as he's Joe Pogue's nephew, and Poguesaren't into kidnapping, they're into cars. You know his daddy wasa racer? So the kid took the car, but then he found the girl init, which put him in a fix. So he was trying to figure out whatto do about it, without getting tangled up with the law, when thatold lady put the finger on him and the cops showed up. Then he ran-- skittish lot, the Pogues -- and the girl probably went with him-- but he forgot to take the coffee off, so the whole place burneddown. Now old Pogue's sweating it, 'cause he hasn't heard from hisnephew in a while, and young Pogue and that girl are somewhere outin tarnation.

Sims just stares, slack jawed. Barnaby glances at him.

BARNABY (CONT'D)

That's what I think.

SIMS:

You thought that all out.

BARNABY:

Yep.

SIMS:

And you never thought to mention it.

BARNABY:

You didn't ask.

Sims collapses back into his seat, thinking.

SIMS:

What makes you think the kid's a car thief?

BARNABY:

Got busted way back, musta been about fourteen atthe time, for auto. Bad crowd he was running with, after his daddydied.

SIMS:

He did.

Barnaby nods.

BARNABY:

You'd know these things, if you were from aroundhere.

SIMS:

You don't like me much, do you Barnaby?

BARNABY:

I got nothing against you. I just wonder, sometimes,how come you're out here, instead of back in your own town.

Seconds tick by as Sims considers.

SIMS:

You ever been to Los Angeles, Barnaby?

BARNABY:

Nope.

INT. MOTEL #2/ROOM - DAY (RAINING HARD)

RAIN beats against the roof. Thunder RUMBLES and Will jerksawake, stares around the room panicked, relaxes when he remembers wherehe is --

And stiffens when he sees Emily's gone.

WILL:

God damn it.

He struggles free of tangled bed clothes, jerks open thedoor to stare out at the gray sheet of rain, and cursing, plunges into it.

EXT. MOTEL #2/PARKING LOT - DAY

Will, dashing through the rain --

WILL:

Stupid stupid stupid --

The car is still there, and intact.

He turns to stare at the abandoned lot.

The neon motel sign spits in the gray rain, shooting weakillumination. Even the office looks dead.

WILL (CONT'D)

Sh*t. I give you my solemn oath. Yeah, right. Stupidstupid stupid.

Rate this script:4.5 / 2 votes