Get Shorty Page #13

CHILI:

Yeah, but you haven't found him yet.

(then)

The guy took off for Las Vegas.

MARTIN:

How do I know that?

Karen looks at Chili as he sits back . . .

CHILI:

The guy's wife tells you . . .

INT. ABIQUIU RESTAURANT -- DAY

Two floors, the upstairs with a railing overlooking the bar.

Harry, a drink in front of him, sits in a big corner booth

upstairs. He checks his watch . . .

VOICE:

Harry, how you doing?

Harry looks up to see Bo Catlett, dressed up as usual,

standing there with the Bear, wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

HARRY:

Bo. I'm great. Listen, I'm expecting some people --

BO CATLETT:

You must be makin' some big deals, doin' lunch in a place

like this?

HARRY:

I'm working on a few things.

BO CATLETT:

Yeah, I hear you bagged Martin Weir for Mr. Lovejoy.

HARRY:

Boy, this town. Word gets around, doesn't it?

Harry chuckles, takes a sip of his drink.

BO CATLETT:

Chili Palmer told me.

Harry's smile goes away.

BO CATLETT:

Last night. When he called me over to your office to talk

about it.

HARRY:

Chili Palmer showed you my script?

BO CATLETT:

Yeah, I was wondering why he should do that.

INT. MARTIN WEIR'S HOUSE -- SAME TIME

Martin is leaning forward . . . Hooked . . .

MARTIN:

The wife sues the airline.

(nods)

This is a gutsy babe.

CHILI:

Good-looking, too.

(turns to look at her)

Like Karen.

Chili smiles at her. Martin leans forward.

MARTIN:

So when do I meet up with the husband and give him the look?

CHILI:

It's not that simple. You have to be careful. There's

another guy that comes along, a hard-on you owe some money

to. A mob guy. Wants to take you out anyway, on account of a

past situation.

MARTIN:

Okay. I'm listening.

Chili stops; he doesn't know what else to say. Martin waits,

then looks at him a moment . . .

CHILI:

At that point, basically, that has to be it.

MARTIN:

You're not going to tell me the rest?

KAREN:

Well actually, Martin the movie we came to talk about is Mr.

Lovejoy.

CHILI:

Yeah. We understand you read the script and like it . . . a

lot.

MARTIN:

Refresh my memory . . .

CONTINUED:

INT. ABIQUIU -- SAME TIME

Harry drains his drink. Bo Catlett exchanges a look with the

Bear, then . . .

BO CATLETT:

Listen, Harry, how would you like to get your hands on five

hundred grand? You pay me back at your convenience, no

interest.

HARRY:

You serious?

BO CATLETT:

All I want in return is to work on the movie with you. Fact

I already got some ideas on how to fix it up.

Bo Catlett signals the waiter . . .

BO CATLETT:

How 'bout another one for Mr. Zimm. A double.

HARRY:

You're gonna just give me five hundred grand?

BO CATLETT:

We'll talk about that, Harry. But first I gotta know, how'd

you hook up with Chili Palmer.

EXT. MARTIN WEIR'S HOUSE -- DAY

Karen, Martin, and Chili walk out to the driveway.

MARTIN:

Lemme talk to Buddy, set up a meeting.

CHILI:

Buddy?

KAREN:

Lufkin. His . . . agent.

MARTIN:

Yeah, Karen knows him.

KAREN:

But you are interested?

MARTIN:

I'm intrigued, yeah. You know what might help you, take a

look at the Cylone again, the way a visual fabric is

maintained even while the metaphor plays on different

levels. Hey --

(nods to minivan)

This your ride, Chili?

Chili follows Martin over to the minivan, opens the door for

him.

MARTIN:

Very nice . . .

CHILI:

Yeah, I like it, I'm high up, I can see everything, you

know? It's the Cadillac of minivans.

MARTIN:

What's that?

CHILI:

Compass.

MARTIN:

Wow.

(then)

Mind if I take it for a spin?

INT. ABIQUIU RESTAURANT -- DAY

Bo Catlett and Harry are laughing as Harry, very drunk now

finishes another drink . . .

BO CATLETT:

He was watching Letterman, huh? Sneaky, that Chili Palmer.

(signals the waiter, then)

So, he ever find this dry cleaner, the one with all that

money on him?

HARRY:

Leo, I don't know.

Bo Catlett and the Bear look at each other.

BO CATLETT:

I bet he did and he ain't givin' you a penny of it, help you

out. Not the way I am.

Harry looks at Bo, can't believe what's happening to his

life, thinks a moment, then . . .

HARRY:

Assuming I go along with this, when can I have the five

hundred?

BO CATLETT:

Whenever you want it. The money's in hundred dollar bills

inside one of those jock bags, you know? In a locker at the

airport, waiting to be picked up.

HARRY:

The airport.

BO CATLETT:

It was waiting out there on another deal, one that didn't go

through; one you don't want to know about.

Harry shakes his head, looks around the restaurant. Bo and

the Bear exchange looks, then . . .

HARRY:

I don't know.

BO CATLETT:

It's not the kind of thing you do.

Another glance at the Bear, then . . .

BO CATLETT:

That's why I was thinking you could send your boy Chili

Palmer. He gets busted or hit on the head you aren't out

nothing.

And with that, Bo Catlett calmly slides an ORANGE KEY across

the table to Harry. Harry stares at it. It has the number

C-18 printed on the flat orange part.

HARRY:

C-18.

BO CATLETT:

That's the magic number.

BEAR:

Cat . . .

And they all look . . .

DOWNSTAIRS:

as Chili and Karen enter the restaurant. Chili checks out

the bar, sees they aren't there, then looks up at the

railing . . . keeps his eyes up there as he says . . .

CHILI:

Wait here.

Chili moves to the staircase, now sees the Bear in his

Hawaiian shirt standing a few steps from the top.

Chili gets within three steps of the guy and stops, but

doesn't look up, keeps his eyes fixed on the man's gut.

BO CATLETT:

I'd like you to meet my associate, the Bear. Movie stuntman

and champion weightlifter, as you might've noticed. Picks up

and throws out things I don't want.

Chili doesn't move, keeps his eyes on the man's crotch.

BEAR:

We think you ought to turn around and go back to Miami.

Chili slowly moves his gaze up through hibiscus until he's

looking at the man's bearded face . . .

CHILI:

So you're a stuntman. Are you any good?

The Bear grins and turns his head to the side, as if too

modest to answer and will let Bo Catlett speak for him.

This makes the next move easier . . . the guy not even

looking as Chili grabs a handful of his crotch, steps aside

and yanks him off the f***ing stairs.

The Bear yells out of pain and fear as the beefy guy rolls

all the way down the stairs to land on the main floor, a few

feet away from where Karen now stands.

Chili keeps watching until he sees the guy move, then looks

up at Bo Catlett who's now coming down . . .

CHILI:

Not bad for a guy his size.

Chili continues up the stairs to where Bo Catlett stands

beside the table. Chili unbuttons his coat . . .

CHILI:

I'll make you a deal. If you can get out of here before I

take my coat off, I won't clean the floor with you, get your

little costume all messed up.

Karen watches now as Bo Catlett puts a hand in his coat

packet, steps right up to Chili . . .

BO CATLETT:

You don't know me. You only think you do.

Bo walks past Chili, goes down the stairs. Chili watches as

Bo Catlett helps the Bear get to his feet. They leave the

restaurant, the Bear looking over his shoulder at Chili.

Even Karen is looking at him differently now as they slide

into the booth with a now shocked, rapidly sobering Harry.

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