Excess Baggage Page #9

Will frowns, hangs up, and relaxes into a chair to stareat the TV. Boring. He flips channels --

Jerks forward in his chair, and switches back a channelto stare in horror at --

The TV screen shows an anchorman, the warehouse fire, acharred Mercedes, more fire --

Will's jaw drops.

WILL:

Oh sh*t.

Will's high school yearbook photo flashes by, a pictureof Emily --

WILL:

Sh*t sh*t sh*t.

PERKINS (O.S.)

Interesting viewing?

WILL:

Jesus!

Will spins to stare at Thomas Perkins, who steps silentlyinto the room.

WILL (CONT'D)

Who the f*** are you?

PERKINS:

I'm Uncle Tom. Who the f*** are you?

Perkins holds up photocopies of mortgage deeds, studiesone in mock annoyance.

PERKINS:

William Pogue, who owns a warehouse in Portland,Oregon --

Studying another photocopy --

PERKINS (CONT'D)

-- William Danny, who owns a farm in Denton*, Washington?,or maybe William Baker, who owns another warehouse -- you like warehouses,don't you? -- in Seattle, Washington.

Perkins lowers the papers.

PERKINS (CONT'D)

I'll just call you William. Now, William, where'sEmily Hope?

Perkins brings out a gun and casually begins screwing asilencer into place.

EXT. TRUCK STOP - NIGHT (RAINING)

Standing beside a rumbling semi truck, the waitress embracesEmily and shoves a bag into her hands.

WAITRESS:

There's food in here, to hold you over.

EMILY:

Thank you Norma.

WAITRESS:

Don't even think twice about it. You just get yourselfsomewhere safe.

Emily gives her a hug, shoves bills into her big waitresspockets, and swings up into the truck cab.

WAITRESS:

Now blast you, I told you --

EMILY:

You take that money, Norma. It's all I've got togive you, and money isn't enough.

Emily slams the cab door, waves, and the semi rumbles outof the parking lot.

INT. TRUCK STOP - NIGHT

Norma, the waitress, is wiping down a deserted counter,when Will, face cut up and a bit wild around the eyes, stalks up -- wearinga really nice suit.

WAITRESS:

Coffee, Hon?

WILL:

I'm looking for a girl.

Norma looks Will up and down, not liking what she sees.

WILL (CONT'D)

She may have come in here. About yeah high, suchand such hair, thin, kinda delicate looking?

WAITRESS:

She's gone.

Will sighs in relief.

WILL:

You've seen her. Do you know where she went?

WAITRESS:

Somewhere you can't get your lousy hands on her,is where. Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.

WILL:

What?

WAITRESS:

Bobby? Joe?

The place is not entirely deserted -- two very burly TRUCKERSglance up from their booth.

TRUCKER #1

Norma, you need something?

WAITRESS:

This gentleman is looking for the little girl Mikegave a ride to --

She indicates Will with her chin --

TRUCKER #2

That so?

The truckers are rising -- rising being an understatement-- to approach Will.

TRUCKER #1

He the one gave her that black eye?

Norma's got her hands on her hips, staring Will down.

WILL:

Now wait a minute --

TRUCKER #2

I think maybe we need to have a talk outside, Son.

INT. SEMI TRUCK CAB - DAY (MORNING)

Emily wakes up, ensconced in the bed of the truck cab, asMIKE the trucker climbs into the cab with two styrofoam cups of coffee.

MIKE:

Morning. Want some coffee?

EMILY:

Thanks.

He hands it back to her and she cracks its cover to happilybreathe in steam, before taking a sip.

MIKE:

Your eye looks pretty good.

Thomas Perkins' tinted windows car pulls into the lot outside.

EMILY:

I'm a fast healer.

She sets the cup down and crawls to the front of the cab,to get a better look -- it is definitely Thomas's car. She sucks in breath.Mike frowns at the car.

MIKE:

Someone you know?

She nods, tired, and drags on her shoes.

Mike's glowering at the car.

MIKE:

You don't have to go out there.

Emily gives him a tired smile and a kiss on the cheek.

EMILY:

Thanks for the ride and the coffee, Mike. I'll beokay.

She drops down out of the cab. Mike shakes his head.

MIKE:

Why do they always go back, I wonder? Nice prettygirl, could have anyone she wanted, and she goes back to the blackeye patrol.

EXT. TRUCK STOP #2 - DAY (MORNING)

Emily braces her shoulders and walks towards Thomas's car.

EMILY:

Aw, well, it was a fun ride, Em.

She sighs, and opens the passenger door.

Will glares at her from the driver's seat.

EMILY (CONT'D)

You!

WILL:

Get in.

EMILY:

F*** you. You burned my car!

She whirls and stalks back towards the truck.

WILL:

I what!?

He slams out and stands there, breathing hard. She turns,glaring.

EMILY:

No wonder you were in such a hurry to get out ofthere. You torched the place!

WILL:

The hell I did. More likely one of your relativescame to visit.

She stares at the car, his suit --

EMILY:

Where's Thomas?

WILL:

In the last twenty-four hours, I've been beatenup by three people, threatened with a gun, insulted by a waitress,and I had to run naked through the woods. So I'm not in the moodto hold this conversation in the god damned rain. Now get in thecar.

EMILY:

You ran naked through the woods?

She glances at her watch: five thirty.

EMILY:

Wow. It's not even six o'clock.

INT. PERKINS' DISCREET AUTOMOBILE - DAY (RAINING)

Emily smokes like a fiend. Will drives by reflex.

EMILY:

I'm not going back.

WILL:

The hell you aren't.

EMILY:

You wouldn't be in this mess, if you hadn't gonearound making a bunch of phone calls.

The car's cellular phone rings. Will stares at it, appalled.Emily eyes it, curious.

WILL:

Don't answer that.

EMILY:

Who is it?

Silence. Will's jaw works.

EMILY:

Uncle Tom? Uncle Tom is calling you on the phone?

She laughs, delighted. He glares.

WILL (CONT'D)

If I'd known the f***ing marines were on my ass-- but no. It wasn't the marines. It was Uncle Tom, a much morefrightening individual. Where the hell did you think you were yougoing?

EMILY:

Fort Lewis.

WILL:

Oh, that explains everything.

EMILY:

If you must know, I was going to visit a priest.

Will snorts.

WILL:

Well now you're going to visit a policeman. Whothe hell is Uncle Tom?

Emily stares around the car in fascination.

EMILY:

I can't believe you stole Uncle Thomas's car. Andhis clothes. How did you do it?

WILL:

I ran.

EMILY:

You outran Uncle Tom?

WILL:

He wasn't counting on me jumping through that plateglass window.

She reaches up to touch one of his facial nicks.

EMILY:

But how --

Will shoots her a deprecating glance, grits his teeth --

WILL:

The clothes were in the car.

He's waiting for an explanation, seething. She sighs.

EMILY:

He's not really my uncle, that's just what I callhim.

He rubs his eyes, tired to death of subterfuge. She sighs.

EMILY (CONT'D)

Uncle Tom does clean up for my father.

WILL:

He's a janitor. Why didn't I think of that.

Will jerks the steering wheel, straightening the car's pathout on the road.

EMILY:

When's the last time you got some sleep?

He grits his teeth.

EMILY (CONT'D)

Jesus, I bet you haven't slept at all. You can'teven stay on the road.

WILL:

I can stay on the road.

EXT. HIGHWAY - DAY (RAINING)

Perkins' car screeches off the road -- slamming to a haltamid flying pebbles and mud.

WILL (O.S.)

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