Hardcore Page #20

NIKI:

(continuing)

It's your money. You talk.

JAKE:

I'm making a film. Jim Sullivan's

going to be in it. He said you might

know where Tod is.

NIKI:

Do I know you? Weren't you on the

set the other night? With Ramada.

JAKE:

Yeah.

NIKI:

You making a feature?

JAKE:

Um-hm. Live sound.

NIKI:

Got any parts? I'm free. Not free-

free, but, you know, free. I don't

really do this.

Gestures vaguely.

JAKE:

Jim and I have been trying to run

down a girl.

(takes out glossy)

Do you know her?

He presses the picture against the stained glass partition.

NIKI:

Joanne?

JAKE:

You know her?

NIKI:

No. I saw her with Tod.

JAKE:

Do you know where she lives?

NIKI:

Nah.

JAKE:

Do you know where she would be?

There is a CLICK and the phone goes dead. Niki says something

but Jake cannot hear her. She motions to the phone as she

gets up to leave.

Jake puts his second token in the phone and Niki sits back

down.

JAKE:

(continuing)

Where is she?

NIKI:

Tod might know.

JAKE:

Where's he?

NIKI:

Last I heard he went to San Diego.

JAKE:

If we went there, would you be able

to find him?

NIKI:

(eyeing him)

You're not a film producer, are you?

JAKE:

How much do you make a week, Niki?

Jake uses his manipulative voice, the one he might use when

discussing a shade of blue in a convention display.

NIKI:

(catching on)

Are you a private detective?

JAKE:

Something like that. How much do you

make?

NIKI:

Here? What a joke. There was some

detective asking about that girl.

JAKE:

Three hundred?

NIKI:

This is just temporary. I once made

nine hundred in outcall.

JAKE:

I'll give you $700 a week, cash, if

you help me find this girl.

NIKI:

Up front?

JAKE:

Half now, half later.

NIKI:

Make it nine hundred. That was my

best week.

JAKE:

Okay. My client pays for it anyway.

NIKI:

When do we start?

JAKE:

Tonight. When you get out, we'll go.

(a beat)

Why didn't you tell the other

detective?

NIKI:

(shrugs)

This is different. This is nine

hundred dollars.

CUT TO:

EXT. VAN NUYS DELL - NIGHT

Wes parks in front of a Van Nuys delicatessen and walks in.

CUT TO:

INT. VAN NUYS DELI - NIGHT

Wes walks into the well-lit deli and spots Andy Mast sitting

alone with a glass and a bottle of beer.

A cross section of California types are scattered around the

room. A JUKEBOX plays country and western.

WES:

Mr. Mast? My name's Wes DeJong. I'm

Jake Van Dorn's brother-in-law. We

met out here a couple months ago

when he hired you. Your agency said

you might be here.

Mast motions for him to sit.

MAST:

Ssh. I'm on a stakeout.

WES:

(looks around)

Oh.

Mast looks down at the beer bottle.

MAST:

I'm staking out this beer bottle.

Trying to find out if I'll finish it

or it'll finish me.

WES:

I'm worried about Jake.

MAST:

I'm off that case. He fired me.

WES:

He didn't look good at all. Something

strange is going on. He's got himself

into some trouble. He wouldn't say

what.

MAST:

(lights cigarette)

I'll tell you, that was an interesting

case. The Van Dorn girl. I've handled

runaway cases like it before. Usually

when you put the pressure on the

porn underworld for an underage kid,

she pops up in about a week. Everybody

denies ever seeing her, but there

she is at the airport with a prepaid

ticket home. Well, I put pressure on

all over town for this girl and it

stayed cold as ice. In fact, certain

people for this girl and -- nothing.

(thinks)

I guess I gave your brother-in-law

sort of a raw deal.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes