Klute Page #17

KLUTE:

I'm always getting surprises.

Bree doesn't answer. She sets the armload of

dresses over the back of a chair, moves aside to

get others. Frank smiles cautiously, ruefully. Then

--

KLUTE (CONT'D)

I don't want you to do this.

He still doesn't extract an answer. She returns

with other dresses.

KLUTE (CONT'D)

Please. I said I don't want you to

do this.

BREE:

(tight, small)

Trask said I should move. Let's not

make a thing of it.

He continues to look at her; she continues to

gather possessions. Then trying to smile, to deal

with it casually --

BREE (CONT'D)

Look, too much is going on here.

I'm moving in with another girl,

that's all. Just for a while.

FRANK:

(helpfully)

That's right. This other girl's got

a very big apartment, big, plenty

of room.

(then)

Look, it's not necessarily how it

looks, right? It's --

He thinks better of continuing. Klute looks from

him back to Bree. He speaks gravely, spacing his

words -- unable to speak any faster.

KLUTE:

No. Please. Not with this son of a

b*tch.

Frank rises, both nervous and offended -- but

dealing with Klute as between civilized men.

Smiling.

FRANK:

Klute, let's handle it like

grownups? I mean we're all grown up

now, right?

(ventures forward)

-- we all respect each other, you

know what I mean? -- I respect you,

Bree respects you -- you could say,

it just didn't work out between you

and she. But you got to respect her

too -- you know, her best

interests, best for her --

Klute hits him, pursues, recovers, and starts to

beat him. BLOOD thickly descends the side of

Frank's face, as he struggles away. Bree is

screaming. Bree grabs at him from behind. He

thrusts her off. But it allows Frank to break away

through the still-open door. Klute pursues.

INT. LANDING AT DOOR - DAY

Frank clatters down a stairs as Klute arrives in

the doorframe, and as Bree, behind Klute, screams --

BREE:

No!

Klute is restrained -- restrains himself. Frank has

faced around on the stairs, still bleeding

extravagantly from his torn scalp. Earnestly --

FRANK:

Hey, I'm gonna get you dropped.

Klute start's out after him -- Frank vaults away

down the stairs -- we hear him stumbling and

running -- Klute faces sharply around into the

apartment.

INT. BREE'S APARTMENT - DAY

PAST KLUTE TO BREE. She is running away from him

again, to a corner of the apartment, fumbling at a

sewing basket. He starts in, after her.

KLUTE:

(indistinctly)

Please --

TWO SHOT:

She swings about as he overtakes her, holding a

pair of scissors -- simply and transcendently

terrified. She strikes at him, slashing his

forearm. He and she stand in absolute silence. He

looks down at the stain of blood spreading through

the fabric of his jacket sleeve. Then he turns out

of the room and down the stairs.

EXT. BREE'S BROWNSTONE - DAY

Klute comes out of door -- goes down steps to his

own apartment. A passerby stops him for directions

and doesn't seem to notice the blood on his sleeve.

Klute goes into his apartment.

INT. BREE'S APARTMENT: BREE - DAY

Bree is in the middle of dialing the phone. Her

hands are shaking; she misdials -- holds down the

receiver for a moment then starts again.

INT. KLUTE'S APARTMENT: KLUTE - DAY

Klute stands in silence for a moment or two -- then

takes rather more note of his forearm. (Not

urgently but practically; it behooves him to stop

bleeding.) He turns toward the bathroom, pulling

his jacket off with the other hand.

INT. BREE'S APARTMENT: BREE - DAY

Bree speaks to the phone, trying to make a simple

point, trying to keep her voice even.

BREE:

-- until he gets back.

(beat)

Yes I heard you, I understand that.

I said I'm going to come over, I'll

wait until he gets back.

She hangs up before the other party can object in

detail -- takes up her purse and goes out, not even

closing the door behind her.

INT. KLUTE'S APARTMENT: BATHROOM: KLUTE - DAY

Klute has knotted a hand-towel around his forearm,

now uses teeth and fingers to pull the ends tight.

Then -- intending to clean up -- he takes up a

washcloth, reaches for the faucet --

EXT. BREE'S BROWNSTONE - DAY

Bree comes out of door - goes down steps -

hesitates in front of Klute's apartment struggling

with the question of whether to knock. CAMERA pulls

back to reveal we are watching her through the

windshield of a car in the parking lot across the

street. CAMERA pulls back further to reveal the

back of Cable's head as he sits in the car watching

her. Bree starts to knock on Klute's door but stops

herself and walks down the street. Cable's head

moves out of the shot. We hear the sound of the car

door opening and closing. Through the windshield we

see Cable cross in front of the car and start to

follow Bree down the street.

INT. KLUTE'S APARTMENT: BATHRO0M: KLUTE - DAY

Klute finishes mopping up. SOUND OF TELEPHONE. He

turns back out of the bathroom and answers it.

KLUTE:

Hello?

(listens, then soberly - )

Trask, I don't get that.

EXT. STREET:
BREE - DAY

Bree is about a quarter block away from the

Brownstone now, hurrying. She waves in the

direction of a cab, misses it, continues on. We CUT

TO --

EXT. STREET:
CABLE - DAY

Cable stands looking after her, hesitates over

choice of action, decides to follow.

EXT. STREET:
FIGURES: PAST BREE TO CABLE - DAY

We establish the distance between them -- Cable 100

or so feet behind her, unnoticed by her,

maintaining about the same pace, not -- at this

point -- trying to overtake (perhaps waiting for

less populated surroundings) We CUT BACK TO --

INT. KLUTE'S APARTMENT: KLUTE - DAY

Klute continues his phone conversation, short

spoken.

KLUTE:

Who told you, his secretary?

(listens)

Has someone checked his hotel? He

always stays at the --

(then)

I'll look around, I'll call you

back.

He hangs up. First he checks out the windows (but -

if we want to be accurate - from mid room, without

directly approaching the windows themselves). Then

he secures a pistol from his jacket (and folds the

jacket itself over his arm to conceal it, as a

matter of public decorum), and goes on out.

INT. STAIRWELL:
KLUTE - DAY

Klute's manner, over the next few minutes, exhibits

an absolute, untheatrical, care and competence. A

man -- Cable -- may in fact be hiding here

somewhere to kill him. He sets about checking the

likely places -- first of all the lower hallway,

then the stairwell itself, moving steadily

unalarmedly up.

At the top he notes -- but still without main

concern that Bree's door is open. He calls ahead --

KLUTE:

Bree --

INT. BREE'S APARTMENT: KLUTE - DAY

He enters, puzzles, starts checking around (quite

thoroughly; she might be hiding from him). We CUT

BACK TO --

EXT. STREETS:
BREE; FIGURE OF CABLE - DAY

Bree moves past CONSTRUCTION WORK, through one of

those temporary pedestrian passageways. Behind her,

nearer than before we see the FIGURE OF CABLE.

INT. STAIRWELL - DAY

Klute comes quickly back downstairs, back into his

room, takes up the phone. Through the still-open

door we watch him begin dialing -- then CUT TO --

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