Nick of Time Page #6

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GENE:

Sorry.

CABBIE:

'S okay. What do you think?

GENE:

Huh?

CABBIE:

Better in San Diego? More opportunity

there? What?

GENE:

I really don't know. I don't live

there. I was just visiting...a grave.

CABBIE:

Aw, too bad.

They lapse into silence. GENE starts to open the envelope

again.

CABBIE:

Somebody close?

GENE:

What?

CABBIE:

The grave. Somebody close?

GENE:

Wife. Ex-wife. Almost ex. We were

separated. She was thinking about a

divorce.

GENE notices the dashboard clock -

12:
22

GENE leans forward.

GENE:

Look...I've... I've got a problem. A

big problem...

CABBIE:

Oh, yeah?

He hits the horn and swerves to the left.

CABBIE:

Jesus! Watch it, buddy!

EXT. LOS ANGELES STREET - DAY - 12:22PM

GENE looks out his window and finds himself staring at MR.

SMITH, staring back at him, driving the van, next to him. He

throws himself back in the seat.

INT. CAB - DAY - 12:22PM

The cab pulls into the drive front of the Bonaventure Hotel

and stops.

CABBIE:

I'd love to hear about your problem,

but the ride's over. Three-fifty.

GENE looks out the back window, watches the van pulls up to

the curb on the other side of the street.

CABBIE:

Three-fifty. I hope your problem

doesn't have anything to do with my

three-fifty.

GENE looks back at the CABBIE, waiting for his fare.

GENE:

Right. Right.

GENE digs through his pockets and comes up with one of his

business cards. He hurriedly writes on it: "HELP. VAN KIDNAP

CHILD." He wraps a five around it, pushes it into the CABBIE'S

hand, gives him a meaningful look and gets out of the cab.

EXT. BONAVENTURE HOTEL - DAY - 12:23PM

GENE stops a few yards from the cab, watching the CABBIE.

INT. CAB - DAY - 12:23PM

The CABBIE finds the secreted card, but looks at the wrong

side.

CABBIE:

What do I want with an accountant?

A DOORMAN leans down at the window.

DOORMAN:

I got one for the airport. You free?

CABBIE:

You bet.

The DOORMAN plants a PASSENGER in the cab. As he pulls away,

the CABBIE again glances at the business card, crumples it

up.

EXT. BONAVENTURE HOTEL - DAY - 12:23PM

GENE watches the cab leave. As it exits, the CABBIE's arm

snakes out and tosses the card in the trash. GENE knows what

it is. He looks around.

VALETS, BELLMEN, ARRIVALS and DEPARTEES, cars coming and

going. No one pays particular attention to him.

GENE looks at the van across the street. MR. SMITH gets out

and walks across the street towards him. The van drives away.

GENE watches the van disappear around the corner, desperately

hanging onto the last glimpse of it.

MR. SMITH takes the walkie-talkie out of his pocket. GENE

goes into the hotel.

INT. BONAVENTURE HOTEL - LOBBY - DAY - 12:24PM

GENE enters. It's like another world. A busy, humming, air-

conditioned planet. PEOPLE hustle around the restaurants,

waterfalls - a definite ant farm ambiance.

HIGH DOWN ANGLE ON GENE - LOBBY - DAY - 12:24PM

Suddenly we have cut to a VIDEO IMAGE of Gene looking around

this Hotel, complete with scrolling TIME AND DATE. Shot by

someone high above.

CLOSE ON GENE - LOBBY - DAY - 12:24PM

GENE is bumped and buffeted about by the bustling crowd. He

breaks free to a clear spot, looks up and freezes. Then he

starts tracking all around him, seeing...something.

GENE:

Oh, my God. Oh, no.

He desperately fumbles in his pocket.

Facing and above him, some WORKMEN ON LADDERS are securing a

huge, rolled up banner.

GENE finds what he's looking for - the manila envelope. He

rips it open. As he pulls out the photograph that is inside,

the WORKMEN let their banner unfurl. We do a simultaneous

reveal. The woman in the photograph in the envelope is the

same as depicted on the banner. Written across the bottom of

it in your best red, white, and blue:

"RE-ELECT ELEANOR SAMARA GRANT GOVERNOR"

And an addendum:

"HERE TODAY!"

GENE:

Oh, sh*t.

It dawns on him. He looks around him again. This time we see

what he sees. Campaign posters and banners everywhere.

On some of them she is posed with a handsome man, several

years her junior. These have the caption, "Governor Grant

and husband Brendan".

GENE:

Oh, sweet Jesus...

His eyes fall on MR. SMITH, standing inside the entrance,

walkie-talkie in hand, watching him.

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