Knives Out Page #3

BLANC:

I do.

LIEUTENANT ELLIOTT

Mr. Blanc is a private investigator

of great renown.

Joni in the chair.

JONI:

Wait a minute - I read a tweet about

a New Yorker article about you. The

last of the gentlemen sleuths? You

solved that case with the tennis

champ - you're famous!

LIEUTENANT ELLIOTT

Mr. Blanc requested to sit in on the

questioning and I happily consented.

I can vouch for him.

Linda in the chair.

LINDA:

Oh you vouch for him, well thank you,

detective I just met five minutes

ago. Mr. Blanc, I know who you are,

I read your New Yorker profile. It

was delightful. I just buried my

eighty five year old father who

committed suicide. Why are you here?

Elliott and Wagner turn back to Blanc, who leans forward

slightly and speaks in the gentlest southern lilt you have

ever heard in your life.

BLANC:

I am here at the behest of a client.

LINDA:

Who?

BLANC:

I cannot say, but let me assure you

this:
my presence will be

ornamental, a respectful, quiet,

passive observer. Of the truth.

Elliott and Wagner turn nervously back to Linda. She

doesn't look thrilled. Cut to Richard.

RICHARD:

Fine. Are we getting there?

15.

BLANC:

Nearly. Harlan's nurse. She was at

the party in a professional capacity?

Blanc begins idly playing with a silver dollar.

RICHARD:

Marta?

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT OF THE PARTY

The family is engaged in an animated discussion, Marta

standing on the outskirts.

RICHARD (V.O.)

I guess. Harlan hired her to be

around, take care of whatever medical

needs pop up, but really she's like

part of the family.

Richard beckons with his cake, calls Marta into the

discussion, into the circle of the family.

RICHARD (V.O.) (cont'd)

Good kid, been a good friend to

Harlan. Her family's from Paraguay.

I know Linda likes her work ethic.

INT. LIBRARY

RICHARD:

"Immigrants - we get the job done."

From Hamilton.

Wagner gives him a smile to show he got the reference.

Cut to Linda back in the chair.

BLANC:

May I just - and then I'll recede,

but as a self made man myself I have

to express my admiration for how

you've followed in your father's

footsteps.

LINDA:

Thank you.

16.

BLANC:

The whole family too. Joni with her

things, Walt with his publishing

empire.

LINDA:

Well.

Blanc pauses. Doesn't push anything. Just waits a moment.

LINDA (cont'd)

Yes. I mean. Walt, yeah. He's done

well with what dad's given him, but

it's not the same. I built my

company up from nothing, like dad.

Walt - not like it matters but he was

sort of adrift, dad gave him the job,

but really dad hands him a book twice

a year and Walt publishes it, I

mean... it's different.

BLANC:

But surely Walt runs the

merchandising, adaptations, film and

television rights...

Linda squints, narrowing her eyes on Blanc. Softly:

LINDA:

Are you baiting me, Detective? You

know he doesn't, and you think I'm

dumb enough to be baited into talking

family business, into sh*t talking my

brother in front of a state trooper

and police detective -

Richard in the chair.

RICHARD:

Walt doesn't run sh*t! There are no

film or tv rights, Harlan's never

allowed any adaptations of his books.

Hates the idea.

BLANC:

No!

RICHARD:

Oh yeah! Drives Walt nuts, cause

that's where the real money's at.

When he gets a little Irish courage

in him he'll get into it with Harlan.

17.

BLANC:

Did he get "into it" at the party?

RICHARD:

Oh my god.

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT OF THE PARTY

Walt with a drink in his hand has cornered Harlan. Richard

watches across the room as Walt goes from arguing to

pleading.

RICHARD (V.O.)

He wouldn't leave him alone. Poor

Harlan had to give him the hook.

Harlan has had enough, he takes Walt's arm and leads him

into the drawing room for a private talk.

RICHARD (V.O.) (cont'd)

I didn't hear what he said but he

must have really handed him his

lunch, Walt was like a wounded puppy

the rest of the night.

INT. LIBRARY

Walt in the chair, indignant.

WALT:

What? Richard said what?

Jesus. No, we didn't get

"into it."

BLANC:

I'm just trying to get an

accurate impression - Harlan

took you aside at the party,

when you returned you were

chastened, what did Harlan

say to you?

Walt starts to open his mouth, hesitates. Off his

frightened face we FLASH BACK:

INT. DRAWING ROOM - NIGHT OF THE PARTY

Walt, drunk, Harlan guiding him firmly into the shadows.

18.

WALT:

If you'll just look at - the

Netflix guys, their business

affairs guy sent over

something, hard numbers this

time, and I think - this is

a window, it's not going to

last and you should just

look at these numbers

HARLAN:

Walt.

Walt.

WALT:

Dad you put me in charge of our books

let me be in charge, let me do this!

Please.

HARLAN:

They're not our books, son. They're

my books. And this is not how I

wanted to have this conversation but,

you're right, it's unfair of me to

keep you tethered to something that

isn't yours to control.

WALT:

What?

HARLAN:

I've done you a grave disservice all

these years, I've kept you from

building something that's yours.

You're not going to run the

publishing house anymore.

WALT:

Dad. Are you firing me?

HARLAN:

We'll talk about details tomorrow.

But my mind's made up.

Harlan squeezes his arm, then leaves him shell shocked.

INT. LIBRARY

Back to Walt's hesitating face. The briefest of moments has

passed. Walt lies:

WALT:

We talked, we had a business

discussion, about ebooks, Jesus, it

was nothing.

(MORE)

19.

You want to talk about an argument,

WALT (cont'd)

hell Ransom had an argument with him.

BLANC:

Ransom, Richard and Linda's son?

WALT:

Look we love Ransom, he has a good

heart, we love him.

BLANC:

...but

WALT:

But he's always been the black sheep

of the family, and I'm not, I, I keep

stuff like this in the family, but

with Ransom, he's never had a job, he

lives beyond his means, parties drugs

I dunno. But dad supports him

financially, they've got this love

hate bond. They fight. But that

night, god. They had a blow out.

BLANC:

About what?

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT OF THE PARTY

The family having a conversation, everyone but Harlan, Jacob

and Ransom. It grinds to a halt as through the door to

Harlan's study indistinct shouting booms.

WALT (V.O.)

I don't know, nobody could make it

out, but it was huge. And it was

strange they went in another room to

do it - they usually love stoking up

drama in front of the family.

Ransom bursts out of the doors and storms out of the party,

past Greatnana.

GREATNANA:

Ransom are you leaving?

INT. LIBRARY

Richard in the chair.

20.

BLANC:

Speaking of getting into it, you were

at the house early to help the

caterer set up. Did you converse

with Harlan at that time?

RICHARD:

He was there, I'm sure we spoke.

BLANC:

In his study?

RICHARD:

I don't think so.

BLANC:

I questioned the caterer this

morning. She didn't see you helping

her staff, but she did hear Harlan in

a screaming match with someone that

afternoon. In his study.

RICHARD:

I don't, a screaming match? No.

Joni was there early too, maybe it

was her, ask her.

BLANC:

These were two male voices.

INT. HALLWAY - DAY OF PARTY

A CATERER walks through with a platter. Pauses, hears

shouting through the wall.

BLANC (V.O.)

Harlan shouted the phrase

HARLAN (O.S.)

...you tell her or I will!

INT. LIBRARY

BLANC:

You tell her. Or I will. Bells

ringing?

For a just a split second, Richard considers what he is

going to say. In the second, we FLASH BACK:

21.

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