Jennifer 8 Page #22

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His indifference inflames BERLIN. Smashes the newspaper at him.

BERLIN:

So read it! You just hung

a target around her neck!

TAYLOR:

Bullshit.

BERLIN:

Don't you know nothing about this

guy? He reads the newspapers. Col-

lects the cuttings. When are they

gonna find her? Now he's reading

Helena Robertson's name, phrased

like she's a f***ing witness. You

couldn't have done anything more

stupid if you'd sat down & tried ..

TAYLOR:

Hey, c'mon, country boys, let's

all line up and hear the expert.

BERLIN:

Just walk away from me, Taylor ..

Now the volume is going up. Now the whole department is silent.

TAYLOR:

You think you're the only guy

ever worked a homicide? I was

a big-city cop too. And I bust-

ed the clock on fucken Jennifer.

I know more about this man than

you'll over know - and that's

how I know it ain't him - you-

're investigating a soap-opera ..

ROSS:

Alright, guys. We stop this now.

TAYLOR:

He tells her, "bye-bye," and she

gets "attacked." Well, give me a

f***ing break! There is no "Ser-

ial Killer." Stick her name up in

neon, there's still no Serial kil-

ler! And I ain't the only one say-

ing it. Everyone in this building

is saying it. And I mean everyone.

"Everyone" means ROSS. BERLIN looks at him. And his gaze hurts.

ROSS:

Shut up, King Jay ..

TAYLOR:

No, c'mon, Freddy, let's have this

out & over. You know what everyone

thinks? They think you're making a

case coz you found yourself a nice

piece of ass. And no one's blaming

you for it, I hear she's worth the

flowers. But don't come in here get-

ting holy over us. Sure I put it in

the paper. Coz I wanted to stop this

bullshit. I don't want you drunk out-

ta your head searching my office ag-

ain. it's pissing me, & everyone off.

BERLIN:

You don't know what you done, Taylor.

TAYLOR:

If, your friend from San Diego was

up here, and thought for one out of

two fucken seconds, she was a danger

to him, he'da taken her out weeks ago ..

His cigarette is already stubbed and he's already walking away.

Why don't you get yourself a dict-

ionary? Look up the word "witness?"

BERLIN:

I know what a "witness" is.

TAYLOR:

Well, her, it ain't. That b*tch

is blind as a blonde fucken bat.

A big mistake Mister Taylor. Mister Berlin suddenly turns into

Harrison Ford. TAYLOR slams into filing cabinets right next to

the Christmas tree. Gets BERLIN's forearm under his throat and

f***ing lucky not to get the knuckles in his gut. Both men are

heaving. No volume necessary in this room of paralyzed silence.

BERLIN:

I'm gonna do something you never

did, Taylor. I'm gonna catch this

bastard. And when I do, he's gon-

na find out just how good a "wit-

ness" she is .. Meanwhile, you be

aware of me - coz I wish you ill ..

BERLIN moves away and the silence is brutal. Nothing happening

but bad vibes. ROSS and BERLIN exchange glances, And this sh*t

is really bad. BERLIN vanishes into his lab and the door slams.

86:
INT. CRIME LAB. POLICE STATION. DAY.

BERLIN and his Dummy wearing a bra and his photographs and his

rage are all alone. And that's how they wanna be. But the door

opens and here is ROSS. Have to be a friend to survive in here.

BERLIN:

Nothing you gotta say do I wanna hear

right now. So save yourself saying it.

ROSS:

I'm not in here to apologize, John.

I told you what was gonna happen &

it's happened? "Good-bye, Princess,"

& the same night she gets attacked?

That's a tough one to swallow, Bro?

BERLIN:

I'm already familiar with Taylor's

opinion.

ROSS:

You don't really believe this?

BERLIN:

One hundred f***ing per cent! ..

And you know why? Coz I never

told her good-bye. O.K.? Is that

good enough for the "committee?"

And as long as you like evaporates before ROSS can speak again.

ROSS:

Well .. I didn't know that ..

BERLIN:

No .. You didn't know that ..

BERLIN is drinking whisky. Sticks another slug in the cup. Now

realizes whose bottle this is. Slams it somewhere on the bench.

Here. You left your booze in here.

ROSS:

Who d'you think it was?

Ross gets the kind of smile a smart guy wouldn't give an idiot.

You think it was him?

BERLIN:

That's a very stupid question, Ross.

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