Miller's Crossing Page #9

He turns to the little boy.

. . . What you eat for lunch?

Johnny Jr.

A hot dog.

Caspar

Just a hot dog?

The boy shakes his head.

Johnny Jr.

A hot dog and mustard.

Caspar throws his head back and roars with laughter.

Caspar

A hot dog with mustard! A hot dog with mustard!

You hear that, Bluepoint! The kids as smart as a

whip! Even Uncle Bluepoint thinks that's funny.

Bluenpoint's face is a solem mask.

. . . Whadduz the goddamn doctor know!

Caspar wipes away tears of mirth and digs in his pocket

with his left hand. Extending two closed fists towards the

boy:

. . . G'head, which hand is the penny in?

The boy touches his right fist.

. . . Choose again.

The boy just looks at him.

. . . Okay, here ya go. Take the penny. Shiny

new penny.

To his wife.

. . . Take the kid. Wait in the car. Give'm

a penny, boys.

Tic-Tac and Frankie dig in their pockets for change as the

boy and his mother cross to the door.

Frankie

I ain't got a penny, boss.

Caspar has turned his attention to a check book that lies

on the table in front of him. As he writes:

Caspar

Ah, well, that's a penny ya owe him. 'Lo Tom,

what's the rumpus? You like kids?

Tom

No.

Absently:

Caspar

Uh-huh. Have a seat. G'ahead.

He tears out the check.

. . . Well, you're missin' out on a complete

life. I know, kids, big deal, but still, I'm

tellin' ya.

He blows on the check.

. . . Anyway. . . Thanks for comin' by. I just

wrote this check out to your bookmaker, Lazarre.

It's for an even fifteen hundred, which is more

than I hear you owe him but I figure you can

always use some money on the cuff, a high roller

such as yaself whaddya say?

Tom

. . . Thanks.

Caspar laughs.

Caspar

Always the yapper, huh? Well, you're welcome.

You wanna know why I'm putting you square with

Lazarre?

Tom

Not particularly.

Caspar

Bad feeling. It ain't a good thing. It's a

poison, kid. I want everybody to be friends. I

do this, you're friends with Lazarre, he's

friends with you, and you're friends with me.

And all you gotta do, show you're a friend, is to

give me Bernie Bernheim. You know it's the right

thing anyway; I can't keep any discipline if I

can't punish the people I need to punish. The

Motzah steals from me, I can't have Leo givin'

him a shiny new penny. . . You find some way to

make Leo understand that.

Tom

So the deal is, I give you the Motzah, smooth it

over with Leo, and you bail me out with Lazarre.

Caspar

Yeah, then we're all friends again: You, me,

Leo, Bluepoint.

Bluepoint sneers from the couch:

Bluepoint

We can maybe have tea sometime.

Caspar

C'mon, Bluepoint. Friends is a mental state.

Wuddya say, kid?

Tom

. . . I'll think about it.

Caspar

He'll think about it. Hear that, Bluepoint?

That's terrific. The kid's a thinker.

Bluepoint

Does he want a pillow for his head?

Caspar

Okay kid, think about it. It's a mental state.

But make it quick, my family's waitin'.

Tom

I'll think about it and tell you later.

Bluepoint

He needs to think in the thinking room.

Caspar shakes his head sadly.

Caspar

Kid, if it'll help you think, you should know

that if you don't do this you won't be in any

shape to walk outa here.

Tom considers this.

Tom

. . . Would that be physically, or just a mental

state?

Caspar stares at him for a beat, then slowly starts to tear

up the check.

Caspar

. . . That ain't friendly, kid. I make you a

nice offer, I get the high hat.

He gets up and walks over to the door. Tic-Tac opens it

for him and precedes him out.

Before following Caspar out the door, Bluepoint grins at

Tom.

Bluepoint

Too bad for you, smart guy.

He leaves, shutting the door.

The room is quiet.

Tom looks at Frankie, the large man, who looks back.

Frankie stands, takes off his suit coat, and hangs it

carefully on a rack by the door.

He approaches Tom.

Tom

Hold it.

Frankie complies. Tom is standing and shrugging off his

coat. He folds it neatly and turns to lay it on the chair

he was in.

When he turns around again he is holding the chair and he

smashes it into Frankie's face.

Frankie staggers back but doesn't drop. He reaches up to

his nose and his hand comes away bloody.

Frankie

. . . Jesus, Tom.

Tom still holds the chair.

Frankie looks at him for a moment, then walks over to the

door, opens it, and leaves, shutting it behind him.

The room is very quiet. Tom stands facing the door, still

holding the chair. After a beat or two, he starts to put

it down.

The door opens and he quickly raises the chair again.

Tic-Tac, the little man with the hawk nose, is striding

into the room, briskly approaching Tom. Frankie, the

gorilla, follows cautiously.

Tic-Tac blocks Ton's swing of the chair with his forearm,

wraps both arms around it and pulls it awav from Tom. As

Frankie circles Tom, Tic-Tac tosses the chair across the

room.

Frankie, now behind Tom, wallops him in the small of the

back. The blow sends him staggering towards Tic-Tac, who

cracks him in the jaw.

Frankie grabs Tom's hair and yanks his head back as Tic-Tac

works on his midsection. Tom's hands are reaching back to

grope for Frankie.

Still holding his hair with one hand, Frankie cuffs Tom

awkwardly on the side of the head. Tom staggers around and

Tic-Tac, now behind him, also hits him on the side of the

head.

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