Fatal Instinct Page #10

Shady sees someone o.s., waves like a gleeful little kid.

MAX SHADY:

Ma!

INT. LOLA'S HOUSE - MORNING

A ceiling fan rotates slowly... a pair of shorts and a nylon

stocking hanging from the blades. The house is a wreck!

The CAMERA MOVES DOWN to Ned and Lola, both reclining in a

big claw-foot bathtub, facing each other, their arms draped

lazily over the sides. Ned's eyes are closed.

"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" plays on the stereo in the b.g.

Lola's hand reaches for an ICE PICK on the floor, raising it

up slowly. Then... CLICK!... ignites the cigarette lighter

in the handle, touching the flame to the end of her cigarette.

She chips away a big chunk of ice from the block in a silver

ice bucket beside her... then sensuously rubs the ice across

her breasts. Ned winces at the sight of this.

Lola smiles at him, then lets the chunk of ice slide into

the water... and pushes it between Ned's legs. He cringes,

eyes crossed. The familiar repetition of MUSICAL notes from

the stereo DRONES LOUDER... grabbing Ned's attention.

NED:

That's Madam Butterfly, isn't it?

LOLA:

Iron Butterfly. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.

NED:

(listening)

Oh yeah, sure... now I can hear it.

LOLA:

It tells the sad story of a woman

who is rejected by her lover after a

brief, but torrid, affair... so she

stalks him with an ice pick and stabs

him with it more than a thousand

times.

NED:

Really? I never could understand the

lyrics.

He lifts his feet out of the water, dangles them over each

side of the tub. He's still wearing one blue sock. Lola raises

her feet out of the water. She's still wearing her high heel

shoes. They are dripping.

NED:

You know, what happened last night

was very, uh...

LOLA:

Yes... it was. I should check on my

homeowners insurance.

NED:

But we can't ever let it happen again.

Ever!

LOLA:

What are you saying, Ned? That you're

rejecting me, your lover, after a

brief, but torrid, affair?!

Ned pulls his feet in, sits up... suddenly feeling vulnerable.

He measures his words very, very carefully.

NED:

I wouldn't put it exactly like that.

It's just that... well, I'm married

to a wonderful woman... who is very,

very attractive...

(but adds quickly)

...not that you aren't very

attractive!

His voice begins to ECHO and FADE as the CAMERA MOVES IN to

a CU of Lola's enraged EYES!

NED:

(voice echoing)

...you aren't very attractive... you

aren't very attractive... you aren't

very attractive...

And then WE SEE...

A CLOSE SHOT of her hand, grasping the ice pick... scratching

it along the side of the tub, peeling back the porcelain. A

GRATING SCREECH OVERLAPS to...

INT. PET STORE - DAY

TIGHT on a SCREECHING TROPICAL BIRD. We PULL BACK to reveal

Ned looking around the store. His ripped pants have been

temporarily repaired with big pieces of masking tape. A CLERK

steps over with two big Parrots on her shoulders.

CLERK:

Don't touch anything. You bond with

it... you buy it. Whatdya want?

NED:

I'd like to buy a pet.

She eyes him suspiciously.

CLERK:

Yeah. For what purpose?

NED:

It's a gift... for my wife.

CLERK:

Right. They all say that.

NED:

She spends a lot of time alone. I

thought it might be nice if she had

something to keep her company.

CLERK:

Yeah. Sure. I bet. How do I know

you're not the kind of guy who punches

out parakeets? Or takes some poor

defenseless animal, throws it in a

sack and runs over it with your car

five or six times.

NED:

I would never hurt an animal.

CLERK:

Boy, I would. They're driving me

CRAZY!

Turns and SHOUTS at the noisy birds.

CLERK:

Shuddup!

They do. She turns back to Ned.

CLERK:

Okay... tell me more about this broad

you're married to. I like to match

people with the pets they deserve.

INT. POLICE SQUAD ROOM - DAY

A typical police squad room... smoke-filled, cluttered, busy.

Arch sits at a desk doing paperwork, surrounded by the Gang

Members... who are also filling out papers. Arch SINGS to

himself, munching on nachos from a big pile of chips. The

Gang Members harmonize with him.

A Gang Member reaches for a nacho chip. Arch grabs for the

gun in his shoulder holster.

ARCH:

Uh-uh.

The Gang Member drops the chip. Arch pops it in his mouth,

continues singing. The Gang Members join in with harmony.

Ned enters in the background, carrying a box with airholes

in it. He steps over to his desk, looking at the singing

Gang Members, then motions like a choir leader, cutting them

off neatly.

NED:

(doubtful)

You do all my paperwork?

They all hand over their completed paperwork. Ned stares at

them for a beat... surprised.

NED:

Get out of here.

They do. He opens the files... checks out the papers. Arch

notices something O.S. and gets up.

ARCH:

And a damn good job, too. One of 'em

even did it in Spanish.

Arch turns the sound up on a wall-mounted TV monitor.

ARCH:

Hey Ned! Catch this! Friend of yours.

On the screen... it's Max Shady speaking to the press.

MAX (O.S.)

(on T.V.)

...I'd like to reach down Ned Ravine's

throat and pull out his guts with my

bare hands!

ARCH:

(shocked)

Jesus... you hear that?

NED:

He's just working through his anger,

trying to find a constructive outlet.

ARCH:

Are you kiddin'! He'll do it! The

guy's a friggin' looney!

NED:

Trust me, I spent a lot of time with

him when I was preparing his case.

He's really a very sweet, sensitive

human being.

MAX:

(on T.V.)

I'd like to mash his head like a

ripe melon...

NED:

He gets a little melon-dramatic.

MAX:

(on T.V.)

...then cut off all his fingers and

rip out his liver with my teeth!

NED:

(shrugs)

See. Loves to exaggerate.

Arch slumps in his chair, really stunned.

ARCH:

Christ, Ned... you're in deep sh*t.

Ned laughs it off. He starts checking through the messages

and paperwork on his desk. The PHONE RINGS. He picks it up.

NED:

Lieutenant Ravine.

Ned's face darkens. He turns away.

INT. LOLA'S HOUSE - TIGHT SHOT - LOLA'S MOUTH - DAY

Speaking into the phone... intense, obsessive.

LOLA:

I want to see you, Ned.

INT. POLICE SQUAD ROOM - DAY

NED:

(whispering harshly)

I told you not to call me! It's

finished between us. No. No, I'm not

sucking anything of yours anymore!

(voice gets louder)

It's done! OVER!

He SLAMS the receiver down, shattering the phone! Everyone

stares at Ned in stunned silence.

NED:

(shrugs it off)

Wrong number.

INT. LOLA'S HOUSE - DAY

She's in the bathtub, phone receiver in one hand, still

jabbing at the porcelain tub with the ice pick. Water squirts

from the holes she's punctured in the side of the tub. She

flings the ice pick at the wall. It sticks!

EXT. PARK - DAY

Lana is seated on a park bench wearing a trenchcoat, hat and

sunglasses. Frank walks up, looks around nervously, pretending

not to know Lana. He sits down next to her.

FRANK:

How come we gotta meet here?

LANA:

We have to be careful now. We can't

risk being seen together at the house

or someone might connect us to the

murder later on.

She hands him a hat.

LANA:

Here... put this on.

She takes her sunglasses off, looks at him. He hesitates,

staring at the hat. A dignified looking OLDER GENTLEMAN

approaches. Frank quickly slips the hat on his head.

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