Fatal Instinct Page #7

NED:

Damn birds!

He grabs his shoe, heaving it toward the open window.

EXT. NED'S HOUSE - MORNING

Frank glances back up at the bedroom window with an arrogant

smirk. WHAP! Ned's shoe hits him right in the face!

EXT. COURTHOUSE - DAY

Ned comes down the courthouse steps. He pauses in the street,

glimpsing the back of a WOMAN passing nearby... a STUNNING

BLOND decked out in a clinging dress and fashionable hat...

a long strip of toilet paper trailing from her high heel

shoe. It must be LOLA. He turns to watch her.

A HORN BLARES! BRAKES SCREECH! The SOUND OVERLAPS to...

INT. NED'S LAW OFFICE - DAY

The door opens. Ned enters, looking terrible. Suit ripped,

hair messed up, bruised and battered, briefcase crushed.

LAURA:

My God, Ned... you look like you

were hit by a bus.

NED:

I was.

(notices)

Who's in my office?

LAURA:

Max Shady's mother.

NED:

Not again.

INSIDE THE OFFICE

MRS. SHADY, an older woman with a pleasant appearance, sits

in an overstuffed leather chair. Ned and Laura enter.

NED:

Hello, Mrs. Shady.

Ned goes straight to his office closet, pulls out an identical

blue suit... and starts stripping off his tattered clothes.

NED:

Laura... check on my insurance. Make

sure it's paid up.

Laura reluctantly returns to the outer office.

MRS. SHADY

Good idea, Mr. Ravine. My son, Max,

is getting out of prison tomorrow.

NED:

(checks his watch)

Gee, has it been seven years already?

MRS. SHADY

Seven long, miserable years in the

slammer. And he's a bit pissed off.

NED:

Well, being locked in a tiny room

with no TV can make a guy feel pretty

tense.

MRS. SHADY

I'm very concerned about him, Mr.

Ravine. He said you were a two-bit

shyster... and he's going to rip

your head off and use it for a bowling

ball!

He goes to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder,

looking her right in the eye, attempting to provide solace.

NED:

I'm sure the experience wasn't all

negative. He probably made a lot of

friends...

MRS. SHADY

(ever hopeful)

You think?

NED:

...learned a useful trade...

MRS. SHADY

Oh yes... live autopsies...

NED:

...caught up on all those books he

wanted to read...

She struggles to her feet feebly...

MRS. SHADY

Maybe so... but he said he's going

to punch you in the testicles...

She hauls off and PUNCHES him like a pile driver! WHAM! He

doubles over, gasping.

MRS. SHADY

...smash your face...

She KNEES him in the face, raising him up... then nails him

with a devastating RIGHT CROSS, spinning him around. He

collapses over the desk.

MRS. SHADY

...and decimate your wardrobe.

She grabs the tail of his suit jacket and rips it up the

back!

MRS. SHADY

And I wouldn't want that to happen.

(spanks his butt)

He's a naughty naughty boy. I just

thought I should warn you.

She turns and shuffles out, passing through the outer office.

MRS. SHADY

(to Laura)

Bye for now.

(pauses by desk)

Oh... may I have a cookie?

LAURA:

(at file cabinet)

Sure.

She grabs a handful of cookies and casually flings them at

Laura... as she heads out the door.

MRS. SHADY

Thank yooooooooou.

Laura rushes into Ned's office with the file folder. He

staggers unsteadily by the desk.

LAURA:

Oh my God, Ned.

NED:

I hate when she comes to see me.

LAURA:

Don't you realize, Ned?... you could

be in real danger.

NED:

(sees file)

What's that?

LAURA:

Extreme peril. You know, the risk of

personal bodily harm.

NED:

(points at file)

No... I mean that.

LAURA:

Your insurance file. But the policy's

missing. Did you take it home?

NED:

I don't think so.

Laura looks puzzled... wondering where it might be. Then...

LAURA:

Oh, wait a second...

She goes to her desk in the outer office, digs through a

drawer. Suddenly, she GASPS!

She is holding...

A FRAMED PHOTOGRAPH

of her abusive HUSBAND... sneering. A circle has been drawn

around his head with lipstick and a diagonal line slashed

across his face.

MATCH DISSOLVE TO: FLASHBACK

HER HUSBAND'S FACE

peers out through a sailboat porthole at stormy seas. A piece

of masking tape stuck to the glass matches the diagonal line.

INT. CABIN OF SAILBOAT - NIGHT

Laura's Husband turns from the porthole. Laura cowers.

The boat pitches and heaves, disturbing all the neatly hung

towels, emblazoned with MINE - MINE - MINE across the bottom

edge. Laura's Husband reacts with a crazed look in his eyes.

Laura makes a break for it, running up on deck.

EXT. SAILBOAT IN STORM - NIGHT

Laura's Husband scrambles up onto the deck, looking fore and

aft. Laura's vanished! He looks out to sea, calling...

LAURA'S HUSBAND

Lau-raaaaa!

EXT. BEACH - NIGHT

Laura paddles ashore, grasping a little kid's inflatable

float ring. She struggles onto the sand and looks out to

sea, triumphant... tossing the plastic float aside.

MONTAGE - ULTRA CONTEMPO BEACH HOUSE - NIGHT

-- Laura rushes in, tracking water all through the house.

-- Laura cuts an inch of hair from her amazingly long, very

wet tresses, then puts on a WIG... that is also LONG and

WET!

-- Laura retrieves a bra and a package of Twinkies from a

secret hiding place... and stuffs them into a small brown

paper bag.

-- Laura hurriedly mops up her water tracks, then...

-- She uses an industrial buffer to wax the hardwood floor.

-- Laura removes her wedding ring... throws it in the toilet.

She reaches for the handle to flush it... hesitates, seeing

the "CONSERVE WATER - THIS MEANS YOU!" sticker on the toilet.

She reaches into the bowl and retrieves the ring.

-- On the deck, Laura throws the wedding ring toward the

ocean. A SEAGULL swoops down, snatching it in mid-air and

flies off.

OMIT:

Sequence omitted from original script.

-- In the bathroom... the Seagull flies in through the open

window, lands on the back of the toilet and drops the ring...

into the toilet bowl!

EXT. THE BEACH - NEXT MORNING

Laura's Husband reaches into the surf and picks up the

deflated float ring. He looks at it with a cruel sneer.

INT. BEACH HOUSE - BATHROOM

Laura's Husband fishes Laura's wedding ring out of the toilet

bowl... looking off with demonic rage!

END FLASHBACK MONTAGE

THE CAMERA PULLS BACK

from Laura's SCREAMING mouth! Her eyes are filled with pure

terror! A GIGANTIC wave of WATER splashes in her face!

We see Ned... holding a tiny empty paper cup in his hand.

Laura is completely drenched!

NED:

Laura! Are you alright? That was a

very long flashback you had.

She snaps out of it, sputtering.

LAURA:

Yes... I know. It's okay. I'm just a

little... pre-menstrual.

She goes to her desk, still upset. She picks up the message

spike and turns to Ned.

LAURA:

That Lola Cain... "person"... stopped

by. She left this!

She thrusts it toward Ned's face! There's a business card

stuck on the end. He pulls it off.

ANGLE - CLOSE ON BUSINESS CARD

It reads:
LE HOT CLUB! No Air Conditioning... And Proud Of

It! Scribbled next to it is the message... "Meet me at 7:30".

The edges of the card are scorched.

INT. LE HOT CLUB - NIGHT

It's dark, seductive, smoky, crowded... and HOT. Everybody

is dripping with sweat and holding unlit cigarettes.

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