Harper Page #6

- We both know what you're afraid of.

- Yeah? What am I afraid of?

You?

You know, there's an old expression.

You kill the body and the head dies.

Did you ever hear that?

How'd you like that, huh? Huh?

Tell me about it. How'd you like that?

You kill the body and the head dies, huh?

You tell me about it, huh?

Untie me and I'll tear your head off.

Now I get it.

You want me to untie you

so you can trick me, huh?

You can't trick me.

You fish-eyed f*ggot.

Harper!

Harper!

You ain't going nowhere.

Here go your car keys!

- Who is it?

- Me.

What do you want?

Susan?

But what happened?

I'm cold.

Why did you come here?

- You know why.

- I can't help you, Lew. I can't!

We're not going to get involved.

We are involved.

Were. We've been there. It didn't work.

Help me, Susan.

- Get out, Lew.

- I need you.

- Now you do. What about later?

- Later, too.

No, you'll take off on whatever

lousy situation you're on.

- I'm through.

- You're through!

- No, I mean it.

- You'll leave me.

- I hate it. I'm done with it.

- You'll leave me!

I swear to you.

You just want a warm body beside

you, someone you can use for a while.

- Not anymore.

- I want you to go.

- The hell you say.

- Now, go.

- Not when I'm like this.

- What do you want from me?

- Just a few kind words.

- What else?

Anything I can get.

At least you're honest.

- Let me get some...

- No, not now. Come on.

- I'm not even sure I like you.

- Come on.

You used to carry me.

That's when I was younger.

I thought I threw out all your suits.

You sure threw out all the shirts.

And we were just gonna lounge around all day.

I'll call you as soon as I can.

Going back on it.

And what you said last night.

Forget what I said last night.

Oh, sure. I understand.

Last night you were cold.

You're really ending things

this time, you know that?

You know that?

Why do you have to go back? Why?

Can't you tell me?

'Cause it's not over yet.

All this food. I feel like such a fool.

Our little wedding breakfast.

Goodbye, Lew.

Goodbye.

Aren't you gonna wish me luck?

Just an infinitely lingering disease.

- Hello, Albert.

- Lew, what...

Anything new on Sampson?

No, but we know who the murdered man is.

I copied down the high

points of his record here.

Name, Eddie Rossiter. Usual truancy stuff.

Worked his way up to car thief.

Boy, that's a colorful one.

Then narcotics, arrested with sister

Betty Rossiter by the Narcotics Bureau.

- After he got out, he...

- Hey, Lew, baby!

- How are you, Beauty?

- Top of the morning!

- Where does he live?

- Guest house at the back.

The Sheriff is a bit put

out with your behavior.

He feels you haven't quite

let him in on everything.

Okay. Where did you go after you left

my man dangling at the Corner bar?

I was looking for Sampson.

A half a million in cash missing,

and you were looking for Sampson.

Wait a minute. You expect me

to take your word for that?

Look, I don't care whether

you take my word or not.

Baby, I'm not working for you.

You know, if I wanted to be ugly,

- I could put you away...

- You are ugly!

- Does he know who he's talking to?

- Yeah.

A sheriff with a tough case on his hands

and no ideas in his head.

Well, if you'd come on like a human

being instead of a leaded toy soldier,

I might have given you a couple

right off, such as Betty Fraley.

Put out a statewide alarm.

She works at The Piano.

And put her down for suspicion

of murder of Eddie Rossiter.

And you can put out another alarm

for Dwight Troy, Fay Estabrook

and a religious nut named Claude,

for smuggling in immigrant workers.

They've been using Sampson's

Temple in the Clouds,

and they just dropped a bunch

last night in Bakersfield.

Oh, and don't bother thanking me,

'cause I'm just a law-abiding citizen

doing his duty.

- Are you sure of all that?

- Sure of some of it.

- You better give King Kong a hand.

- Well, what're you gonna be doing?

I'm gonna crack this thing,

Albert. I swear to you.

It's gonna be laid out.

- Lew, baby.

- Top of the morning.

Hey! What happened to you?

She was a big girl.

- You're a big jazz buff, aren't you?

- Some kinds. Not all.

What can I do for you?

You're very polite.

What you really mean is what the

hell am I doing snooping around?

Well, my shirt's not as neat as it might be

and I thought I might borrow one from you.

Help yourself. You want a beer?

Yeah.

Do you really believe that's why I came here?

- Sure.

- Well, don't.

'Cause what I'm trying to do is tie

you and Rossiter and that Fraley broad

in on the kidnapping.

Are you kidding?

Hey, I don't know what you're on,

but I'd like to get some of it.

Eddie Rossiter phoned you in Las Vegas.

You told him when Sampson was coming to LA.

You probably told him to rent a limousine.

And the next day you got Sampson

plastered, which isn't hard.

And when he phoned the

Bel-Air, you canceled the call

and phoned for Eddie to pick him up instead.

The canceled call's important, buddy,

'cause you're the only one who knew

that Sampson was calling the Bel-Air.

Go ahead.

Give me your Sampson imitation.

I'll bet you it's pretty good.

Lew, I'm on your side.

Who saved you at The Piano?

You did, temporarily, to

throw me off the track.

It worked, too.

When you took a potshot at that

truck, I put it down to enthusiasm.

But what you were really doing

is warning Rossiter to take off.

Are you saying all this because

I got a couple of records?

You know, there's hundreds of

people with records of Betty Fraley.

First day I met you, you

said you had a real woman.

Is that it?

I don't even know her. I never

saw her before in my life.

Were you seen a lot together? I can check.

Well, so check.

I mean, look. Sure, I been to

the joint a couple of times.

Just to hear her. I dig the way she

plays. But I don't know her, Lew.

I don't. Honestly.

Okay, kid, I believe you.

Oh, this mess has got me crawling up

the walls. I'm just grabbing at anything.

But I had to pressure you, you understand?

Sure.

I mean, just for starters, the...

You know, the idea of you

and that Fraley broad...

I know a little something about human nature,

and you two just don't cut

it as couple of the week.

- This one okay?

- Yeah.

She's a perverted, no-talent junkie.

A prime nympho, on top of that.

Night I was there, she was

all over me like a tent.

Not just me, but everybody in

sight. She swings in any direction.

She's a blemish come to life, that one.

Can you believe that something

as rancid as her was once a baby?

You know, if we had the right contacts,

we could make a lot of loot off her.

Book her into all the best freak shows.

'Course, we'd only let her be seen at night.

We wouldn't wanna have little

kids looking at her, right, Beauty?

I've seen pigs in my day, but...

Can you imagine what it'd be

like, touching something like that?

Like cozying up to a piece of fungus.

Like what crawls out from under a rock.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes