I Promised to Pay Page #3

Tragedy.

I'll be in touch.

BRAKES SQUEAL:

JOHNNY:

Right now.

It's going to take a bit of engineering work,

but nothing that you can't handle, Bert.

It's like the old saying -

the irresistible force meets

the immovable object.

JOHNNY:

Something's gotta give.

YAWNS LOUDLY:

Did you say something?

- Yeah.

Yeah, when are you

gonna get down to it, eh?

You think you're pretty tough,

don't you, Blackie?

You think I open my mouth

too wide, don't you?

You think I'm all talk and no action,

don't you, Blackie?

How would you like some action now?

Oh, leave him alone, Johnny.

He runs off at the mouth.

You can't help it, can you? Huh?

All right, all right.

Right. I'll tell you

what we're going to do.

Now then. First off, we're going to need two cars,

two trucks, and something to jam the radio.

JAMMING DEVICE WINDS

CAR ENGINE REVS:

Right, now I'm going to go through it once more

to make sure that there are no slip-ups.

Now, first of all, Blackie, you take your truck

and you park it there on the bridge

at 10:
25 on the nose.

JOHNNY:
If you get there any earlier,

you might attract attention.

If you get there any later,

I'll break your neck. Okay?

Right, now Bert, you and Monty will take

your truck and you'll pull in here on the viaduct

at 10:
30 exactly.

In the meantime,

I shall have been down to the bank

to make sure they haven't changed

the time they pick up the money.

Then I shall come here in the jag,

five minutes before the armoured van is due.

Okay?

Now, Bert, when the

armoured van passes you...

...you pull out and keep close behind him.

If you think that he's on to you,

make sure that you jam that radio.

Right, now I shall be hiding

behind Blackie's truck...

...and when the armoured van comes to pass,

I shall drive straight at him from here

banking that he'll pull over to miss me.

And you, Bert, coming up fast,

ram him into the back of Blackie's truck

and you keep ramming

until that armour splits.

HARRY WHISTLES:

JACKIE:

Harry! Breakfast!

Just coming!

Not all over your face, darling.

Come here, let's wipe this off.

Eat your breakfast.

Oh, Harry, please, not before breakfast!

Daddy, Daddy, 'ting gone.

- JACKIE:
She means the spring's gone.

You show that to Daddy.

See. Head won't spring back.

Must've had a rough night.

She's been pestering me to mend it

ever since she got up.

Madge phoned.

- Frank all right?

Frank fine, Madge bad,

end of bulletin.

I'm going to go round there

and calm her nerves later on.

Hey, stop gulping your food.

It's getting late.

- No it isn't. You've plenty of time.

Daddy, no 'ting!

I'll tell you what.

Daddy'll take teddy with him...

...and if Daddy has time this morning,

Daddy'll fix the sting.

Spring! Do you want your daughter

to grow up speaking Pidgin English?

TENSE MUSIC:

Waiting - all the bloody time - waiting.

Waiting for Johnny.

Waiting for him to give us the word.

Waiting to get started.

Well, I've had waiting!

You're nervy.

Who says I'm nervy?

- I say you're nervy.

What do you mean by that?

- All right, all right, I'm not blaming you.

Anyone would be before a do like this.

D'you reckon this deal

will come off, huh?

Hey, you.

How the hell should I know?

What do you reckon yourself, then?

I think we'll come unstuck.

Isn't he the Cheerful Charlie!

HORN BEEPS:

Now, don't worry. The doctor said

there'd be days you'd feel a bit depressed.

Get a move on, Frank!

Come on. I'll be home early tonight.

Jackie'll cheer you up when she comes over.

How is she?

- Depressed.

Everything okay?

- Yeah.

Stuff as heavy as this -

soon slip through the fingers!

How's Jackie?

- Oh, couldn't be better.

Sits on her backside

while I take all the risks.

Risks! Huh!

My dear old mother takes more risks

when she hangs out the washing!

BRAKES SQUEAL:

Damn!

Here, what do we do?

- Huh?

We get out of here,

that's what we do!

Back! Back! Come on! Come on!

- Yeah. What do you think I'm doing? All right!

Steady! Steady! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!

BRAKES SQUEAL:

HORN BLARES:

Hold it!

- Yeah. What do you think I'm doing?

TRAFFIC BEEPS:

Hey, copper, Bert!

- Huh?

Now, what the hell

do you think you're doing?

What? If I don't get this load to the factory

on time, sir, it'll be the sack for me!

I thought I was taking a shortcut.

Look at the mess I'm in, huh?

Of all the stupid...

- Yes, sir.

Monty! Below us!

Johnny'll have us for this!

He worked out the route!

It's his damn fault!

Well, I wish I ruddy well hadn't come!

Frank?

- FRANK OVER RADIO: Yes?

We sat there for ten minutes. It's time

they did something about that bridge.

Shall I report the delay?

- Mm. Might as well.

Frank, what's it like in the back there?

Stinking hot.

What I couldn't do to a pint.

HARRY OVER RADIO:

Oh, me too!

Tell you what. We'll slip out for a quiet one

when we've dropped this lot.

All right, Frank?

All clear behind, still?

There's a truck coming up

like a bat out of hell!

BRAKES SQUEAL:

It's following us around!

I may be crazy but...

I think it's coming after us, Harry!

I'll see if I can lose it.

Johnny!

Monty - Monty, the wheel!

Okay, okay. We've got them now.

Is she still coming, Frank?

- She's gaining on us fast, Harry!

Call the police. Hurry.

DB4 to HQ.

FRANK OVER RADIO: DB4 to HQ!

- Jam it, Monty!

POLICE OVER RADIO:

HQ to DB4. Receiving you.

Jam it!

POLICE:

HQ to DB4. Over.

JAMMING MACHINE WINDS

Can you hear me, HQ?

Can you hear me?

STATIC:

There's something wrong

with the channel, Harry!

The alarm, Frank. Start the alarm!

ALARM SOUNDS:

TAPE RECORDER VOICE:

Help! Bandits! Help!

BRAKES SQUEAL:

GUNSHO Bert's been hit.

- Don't worry about that. Take the money.

Johnny! They're coming!

Come on you - move!

Take these. I'll shift Bert.

Get going!

Hey, Johnny!

Give me something

to smash the glass!

Close the window!

I think he's bought it!

Monty, pull yourself together!

GIRL:
One of them's dead.

Pinned to the wheel - right through him.

2ND GIRL:

What a dreadful thing!

Let's take a look at Bert.

Here.

He's in a bad way.

He's had it.

We should get him to a doctor.

Doctor? Are you barmy?

What would you tell him?

We oughtn't have moved him.

- What, leave him there to sing about us?

Bert would never have

grassed on his pals.

Would he have, Blackie?

- No, never.

Look - you can't leave him

here alone to die.

Who's gonna stop me?

- I am.

If you leave him here alone,

Johnny Mellors

I'm going round to the nearest nick

and give myself up.

Straight I am.

Look - I mean that.

And get yourself topped?

What do you mean?

I ain't killed anyone!

Look, in case you didn't know, killing that driver

was murder and you're an accessory!

If you give yourself up, Monty,

you'll swing, sure as Christmas.

I'll never forgive you for this, Johnny.

- Look, I didn't kill him.

Ah come on - what's the use

of nattering about it?

That's right. We've got work to do.

Well, there's no point in

worrying about it, Monty.

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