Kalifornia Page #18

EARLY:

(No,) It's the answer to all them

questions of yers.

Brian won't do it. He drops the gun to the ground.

EARLY:

Now you'll never know.

Early c*cks his pistol.

BRIAN:

...Don't do it. Early, look at him,

look at his face. That's not your

father.

Early stares at the wounded cop's face.

EARLY:

I know that. That there is a policeman

in a world of pain. And this is what

you call a mercy killin'.

Early shoots the cop again. The cop lays still.

Early reaches down and takes the dead cop's handcuffs. He

casually points the little camera at the dead cop. Flash!!

EXT. LINCOLN - ON BACKROADS - LATER

The Lincoln hurtles down the road.

INT. LINCOLN

Early driving. Adele in the passenger seat looks bewildered.

Carrie and Brian in back, handcuffed, eyes hollow with

exhaustion and fear. Then out of the quiet...

EARLY:

I'm still waiting.

Adele looks across the seat to Early. Her face drained of

all expression.

EARLY:

(disappointed)

Not so much as a simple "thank you."

Adele at a loss. Finally... confused...

ADELE:

(empty)

...thank you.

EARLY:

Thank you for what?

(becoming aggravated)

What are you thanking me for Adele?

ADELE:

(hesitantly, she admits)

...I don't know.

EARLY:

Well Adele... it was for...

(screaming at her)

...saving your f***ing life back

there!

She shrinks away from him.

EARLY:

(gesturing with his

fingertips a fraction

apart)

Darlin' you were 'bout that far from

spendin' the night at the morgue.

You understand?

CARRIE:

He wasn't going to shoot her, you

murdering son of a b*tch!

Early looks into the rear-view mirror. Brian tries to defuse

the situation.

BRIAN:

Carrie... stop it.

CARRIE:

(explodes)

What the f*** is wrong with you

Brian!? If you'll stop taking notes

for once and open your eyes... you'll

see that he is a homicidal f***ing

killer. He is... for real!

BRIAN:

Shut up Carrie, please... just shut

up!

EXT. LINCOLN ON DESERTED HIGHWAY - SUNSET

The Lincoln drives along an old deserted highway passing

occasional gas stations and dilapidated motels.

INT. LINCOLN ON DESERTED HIGHWAY - SUNSET

Early is driving. He notices something in the distance.

EARLY'S POV - NIGHT

Off in the distance... an oasis of greenery.

OMITTED:

Sequence omitted from original script.

EXT. THE MUSGRAVE HOUSE - ARIZONA/UTAH BORDER - DUSK

A home in a secluded valley near the desert. It has a cactus

garden. The garden is illuminated so it can be enjoyed at

night.

Reveal... the Lincoln parked by the front door.

EXT. LINCOLN - CLOSER

Adele gazes out the passenger-side window. She's enthralled

by the sight of all the cacti.

ADELE:

...I luv' cactuses 'cos they're so

strong. Don't need much care really.

Reveal Brian handcuffed to the steering wheel beside her. He

cranes his neck to see out the rear window...

BRIAN'S POV

Early steps up to the front door of the house and rings the

bell. Carrie stands beside him. A light comes on inside. The

door slides open a crack and MRS. MUSGRAVE, an attractive

older woman with silver hair, peers out with a puzzled look.

INT. LINCOLN - SAME TIME

Adele rambles on.

ADELE:

(far away)

...You can forget about 'em forever

and then look at 'em and they're

doin' even better than before.

BRIAN:

(watching the house)

Adele... we gotta do something before

Early kills someone else.

BRIAN'S POV

Of Early and Carrie as they are let into the house.

INT. LINCOLN

Adele is still rambling on about her interest in cacti.

ADELE:

...There ain't nothin' can kill 'em.

They can live for two even three

hundred years.

BRIAN:

Adele for god sake please lis...

ADELE:

(she glances over to

Brian)

There ain't nothing we could do.

Once Early sets his mind on somethin',

well thats the end of that.

Adele drifts back to the cacti.

INT. MUSGRAVE LIVING ROOM - A LITTLE LATER

CLOSE ON A PORCELAIN CACTUS

One of many we now reveal to be atop a fireplace mantle.

Adele leans in against the mantle and scrutinizes the cactus.

Carrie and Brian sit on the floor, back to back, their arms

bound around the leg of a piano by a pair of police handcuffs.

Mrs. Musgrave is standing nearby. She's overwhelmed. Numb.

She pours herself a glass of bourbon.

MRS. MUSGRAVE

(to herself)

It's just like in that dream I had.

If only I had seen their faces.

She takes her drink and sits down on the couch nearby. Adele

drops down quietly on the chair next to her.

ADELE:

(tries to cheer Mrs.

Musgrave up)

You've got beautiful cactuses here,

I just love 'em. My momma used to

keep a garden.

Mrs. Musgrave downs most of her drink with the first try.

Distressed, her head slumps down.

EARLY (O.S.)

(from the kitchen)

Hey Bri... You ever stop to think

that if you switched the two letters

in your name...

(entering the room)

...it would spell Brain.

Early, his pistol wedged in his belt, appears from the kitchen

eating a sandwich. Between bites... He walks over and rips

the phone out of the wall unit. He glimpses Mrs. Musgrave.

EARLY:

What's wrong with her?

ADELE:

(sorry for her)

She had a dream that somethin' like

this was gonna happen.

Early notices the glass of bourbon in her trembling hands.

He steps over to her and takes the glass away.

EARLY:

I'll bet she did.

He sets the glass down next to a recent picture of Mrs.

Musgrave and an ELDERLY MAN with silver hair.

EARLY:

Where's your husband?

MRS. MUSGRAVE

(lying)

...I'm a widow.

Early looks at her, he doesn't believe her.

EXT. MUSGRAVE HOUSE - NIGHT

Everything is quiet beneath the star studded sky. The same

elderly man pictured with Mrs. Musgrave is studying the sky

through a powerful telescope. MR. MUSGRAVE is an amateur

astronomer. o.s. the SOUND of a door opening. Then footsteps.

MR. MUSGRAVE

(excited)

Is that you Peaches? Come, you must

see Saturn tonight. The rings are

sensational!

INT. STUDY - GLASS DISPLAY CASE

Early leans into frame, staring at the display case.

EARLY'S POV

Inside of it is a four foot long replica of the first ATOMIC

BOMB, "Fat Boy." Faded newspaper articles on the wall indicate

Mr. Musgrave had something to do with the bomb's initial

construction. An old photo on the bookshelf shows a much

younger Mr. Musgrave in a '50's kitchen. He is laughing and

embracing a '50's style female mannequin.

MR. MUSGRAVE (O.S.)

My oh my, this is quite rare, quite

rare indeed. Come have a look...

Early's eyes drift over to a set of golf clubs that sit in

the corner of the room.

MR MUSGRAVE'S POV - THROUGH TELESCOPE

The planet Saturn and its glorious rings.

MR. MUSGRAVE (O.S.)

Peaches?

OMITTED:

THWACK!! The planet turns into a blur of light... then

blackness.

INT. LIVING ROOM - SAME TIME - ON BRIAN AND CARRIE

Brian and Carrie are still cuffed to the piano, in the

background we see Mrs. Musgrave and Adele looking out the

window into the backyard.

BRIAN:

(whispers to Carrie)

You gotta talk to her. She looks up

to you, she'll listen to you.

CARRIE:

I tried talking to her at the mine.

It didn't work.

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