House of Cards Page #8

INT. POLICE STATION - HOLDING CELL - MORNING

Russo is sitting on a bench, head in hands. We hear

footsteps. He looks up. A COP enters, unlocks the door,

opens it.

COP:

You’re free to go.

Russo stands. He’s puzzled, but he’s not about to ask

questions. He exits the holding cell.

46.

INT. CHRISTINA’S CAR - LATE MORNING

Christina is driving, Russo’s riding shotgun.

RUSSO:

It was just a few drinks.

CHRISTINA:

It was enough to get pulled over.

RUSSO:

But I was in control. I wasn’t

drunk drunk.

CHRISTINA:

Were you alone?

RUSSO:

Yes.

CHRISTINA:

Say it to my face.

RUSSO:

Watch the road.

CHRISTINA:

Say it to my face!

RUSSO:

Yes - I was alone!

CHRISTINA:

You can’t keep doing this Peter.

It’s gonna catch up with you.

INT. UNDERWOOD RESIDENCE - KITCHEN - MORNING

Claire picks up two fresh cups of coffee from the espresso

machine. Meanwhile Francis finishes slicing an apple, places

half the slices on one plate, half on another. They meet at

the kitchen table - Claire with the coffee, Francis with the

apple. Sit down. Their morning routine.

CLAIRE:

Do you think we can arrange two

more at our table for the Red and

White Ball?

FRANCIS:

For whom?

47.

CLAIRE:

The Holburns.

FRANCIS:

Why on earth would we want them

there?

CLAIRE:

I’m going to need her money for the

CWA at some point.

FRANCIS:

The expansion?

CLAIRE:

The staff cuts will only get us

halfway there. We’ll need to fund

new projects.

FRANCIS:

I’ll talk to Vasquez.

A beat.

CLAIRE:

(checking in)

How’re we doing?

FRANCIS:

Good.

CLAIRE:

Just good?

FRANCIS:

Progress. Irons in the fire.

CLAIRE:

(smiles)

I like irons. But I love fire.

He downs his espresso. Stands. Gives her a peck on the

forehead. And he’s out the door.

INT. BLYTHE’S OFFICE - DAY

Francis holds up a document as HAROLD BLYTHE looks on.

FRANCIS:

(holding up the document)

This is the only hard copy?

48.

BLYTHE:

Yes.

Francis goes over to the shredder, starts feeding in pages.

BLYTHE (CONT’D)

What are you...

Francis has put too many pages in. The shredder jams. He

yanks out the half devoured sheets and tosses them in the

waste basket with the rest of the 600 page document.

FRANCIS:

The bill is garbage, Harry, and you

know it. You’ve wasted your time

and mine. I’m not happy.

BLYTHE:

I’m sorry Frank...

FRANCIS:

I don’t want apologies, I want a

passable bill. Tax increases? The

ban on vouchers? A Federal

Oversight Commission? How am I

supposed to work with that? You

have to help me help you.

BLYTHE:

I’ll rewrite it.

FRANCIS:

By the inauguration.

BLYTHE:

If you want something from scratch

that’s going to be

FRANCIS:

You have less than a week.

BLYTHE:

That was years worth of work.

FRANCIS:

Then get me a short-form draft.

Get me something I can put your

name on. We can flesh out the long-

form later.

Francis points to the waste basket.

49.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)

That version is dead. Erase every

copy on every computer.

Blythe nods.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)

(as he goes)

Call me if you need anything.

And Francis is out the door. We follow him. He turns to us.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)

(to the camera)

Busy work for poor old Blythe.

Eventually I’ll have to re-write

the bill myself. Not because I

care what’s in it. I only care

about where it gets me. And if it

gets me rubbing shoulders with

Walker again, it’s served its

purpose. But to do that I need a

bill I can pass. Ideology is for

standing still on a soapbox. I

never stand still. I want

momentum.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

TIGHT on the door. A knock. A moment later the door opens,

revealing the CALL-GIRL we saw with Russo the night before.

She’s wearing a long overcoat and heels. CUT TO to Stamper.

STAMPER:

Come on in.

The Call-Girl takes a look around the room, impressed. She

unzips her overcoat. Let’s it fall to the ground. She’s

only wearing panties underneath.

Stamper pulls an enormous wad out of his jacket pocket.

Tosses it to her. She starts to flip through the wad.

STAMPER (CONT’D)

Ten thousand dollars. What will

that get me?

She eyes him, a little frightened.

CALL-GIRL

I mean I’m kinky, but I don’t know

if I’m the girl you’re looking for.

50.

STAMPER:

Oh you’re definitely the girl I’m

looking for.

CALL-GIRL

(stands)

This doesn’t feel right...

STAMPER:

All I want for that money is your

silence.

CALL-GIRL

My silence...?

STAMPER:

The guy you were with last night,

the one who was arrested.

know who he was?

Do you

CALL-GIRL

You mean the Congressman?

STAMPER:

There was no Congressman. There

None of it exists.

was no arrest.

All that exists is the money you’re

holding. You understand?

CALL-GIRL

Yeah.

STAMPER:

Good.

Stamper pulls out some more money from his jacket. Folds it.

STAMPER (CONT’D)

Open your mouth.

She does, he gently slides the bills between her teeth.

STAMPER (CONT’D)

Here’s four hundred more. This

last bit is for me.

He takes off his jacket and starts to unbutton his shirt.

INT. FRANCIS’S (INNER) OFFICE - LATE MORNING

Francis sits across from CATHERINE DURANT (early 50s),

another conservative Democrat from the South.

51.

DURANT:

Secretary of State?

FRANCIS:

That’s right.

DURANT:

(puzzled)

Walker just nominated Kern.

FRANCIS:

It’s a long road to confirmation.

DURANT:

Kern is a boy scout.

FRANCIS:

No one’s a boy scout. Not even boy

scouts.

Durant is intrigued by Francis’s tone. She presses.

DURANT:

What do you have?

FRANCIS:

Absolutely nothing.

DURANT:

So what are we talking about here?

FRANCIS:

I’m just asking a simple question -

does the job interest you?

DURANT:

Wouldn’t you want it for yourself?

FRANCIS:

I turned it down.

DURANT:

Really? I heard that Walker passed

you over.

FRANCIS:

I’ve let that story ride so he

could save face. I haven’t spent

twenty years in Congress to toss it

aside for a four-year cabinet post.

DURANT:

So why do you want Kern gone?

52.

FRANCIS:

I want him gone because he’s a

pretty face with an empty skull.

The Foreign Relations Committee

needs a Secretary I can work with.

Somebody brilliant. Somebody

tough. Somebody who isn’t afraid

to stand up to Walker when he’s

wrong. We need you Catherine.

DURANT:

(slight beat)

Let’s assume I’m interested...

FRANCIS:

I don’t want to assume - I want to

know.

INT. RAYBURN BLDG PARKING GARAGE - NIGHT

A Black SUV rounds a corner on the bottom floor of the

garage, pulls into an empty spot. We can see that Steve is

driving. The back door opens. Stamper gets out. He heads

toward a set of dumpsters in the far corner. Looks around.

Sees no one. Opens the lid to one of the dumpsters.

INT. NEWSROOM - DAY

ZOE is seated at her desk, looking miserable - trapped, under-

appreciated, creativity stifled. She’s got her land line

phone to one ear and is taking notes she clearly doesn’t give

a rat’s ass about.

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